Nieuws van de afdeling

24 November 2009

Depleted Uranium: Parliament supports SP call for ban on use

A parliamentary majority today voted to support a proposal from the SP for a temporary ban on the use of weapons containing depleted uranium and heavy metals. SP Member of Parliament Harry Van Bommel explains: “The SP has long argued for a ban on these weapons, which have caused enormous suffering amongst ordinary civilians, including children, in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. In view of Parliament's vote, the government must now take active steps to persuade the Americans and the British to accept a moratorium on these weapons. The SP believes that such a move would lead eventually to a total ban."

24 November 2009

Europe follows Kroes up dead-end street

The SP is far from happy with the government’s recommendation that current Dutch EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes continue in the role. Dennis de Jong, Chair of the SP’s European Parliamentary group, reacting to the recommendation, said: “Kroes is an able woman, but she is also a free market fundamentalist. The crisis has demonstrated that Europe needs a change of course and with Neelie Kroes that isn’t going to happen.”

21 November 2009

Europe as alibi for raising pension age to 67?

Is forcing people to work until they're 67 now the new norm in Europe? Because they have decided to do this in Germany? In the SP's view, it's rather questionable to single out only those EU member states which have raised their pension age, ignoring the rest.

21 November 2009

Federalist becomes the face of Europe

The appointment of Belgian premier Herman van Rompuy came as no surprise to me. It was already more or less certain that the one chosen as European president would come from a small country. Nobody expected to see a political leader who would give himself a strong profile at the expense of the heads of government. Van Rompuy has little European experience and still can't pluck up the courage to address Chancellor Merkel as ‘Angela’, which certainly says something.

21 November 2009

'Van Rompuy must not become president of a European superstate'

“Now that the Lisbon Treaty is a fact, we can no longer get around the reality that the European Council will have a permanent chairperson. We will, however, be keeping a critical eye on the holder of this new office, Herman van Rompuy. If he moves in the direction of becoming the president of a European superstate, he'll find the SP standing in his way." So says SP Member of Parliament and European affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel in reaction to the appointment of the Belgian Prime Minister.

19 November 2009

Van Velzen: 'Emergency relief centres for asylum seekers must remain'

SP member of Parliament Krista van Velzen believes that local authorities must retain the right to keep emergency relief centres for asylum seekers open. Secretary of State Nebahat Albayrak wants to force the closure of the centres by the end of the year, a result of the agreement drawn up between the Justice Secretary and the Union of Dutch Local Authorities (VNG) in the framework of a general amnesty.

International