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18 November 2008

Greek authorities obstruct veterinarians working to save stray animals

Did you know that Greece is closed to vets from other countries? Foreign veterinarians are being refused work permits on the grounds that they are not sufficiently well-trained and because they would present their Greek colleagues with 'competition'. This means, of course, that everything that you have heard about recognition of qualifications within the EU and equal access to labour markets is, at least in this instance, so much moonshine. This is, in so many words, what SP Euro-MP Erik Meijer intends to bring to the attention of the European Commission.

17 November 2008

SP supports action to maintain EU milk quotas

SP Members of Parliament Hugo Polderman and Krista van Velzen today expressed their support for the Dutch Dairy Farmers' Union (NMV) and the Dutch Dairy Board in their action to demand the retaining of EU milk quotas. Both MPs received a special 'thank you' from the organisations, the SP being the only political party which backed the farmers.

13 November 2008

Parliament supports SP call to refuse approval of GM soya

The Dutch national parliament today voted in favour of a proposal from SP Members of Parliament Krista van Velzen and Hugo Polderman to suspend any further approvals of genetically modified crops for the European market. The success of the SP resolution means that agriculture minister Gerda Verburg will be obliged to vote against the approval of a type of GM soya modified to make it immune to the weedkiller Monsanto 98788 at next week's meeting of the EU Council of Agriculture Minister. She has in the past refused to do this.

12 November 2008

Dramatic drop in bee population is due to GMOs

Bees are having it tough. There is less pollen and nectar, and the culprits are genetically modified and 'treated' plants and seeds. The Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament will next week, at the parliament's plenary session, demand action.

6 November 2008

The State of the Union

The Dutch national Parliament today debated the situation in Europe in its annual 'State of the Union' debate. The SP delegation in the European Parliament, in the person of group leader Erik Meijer, raised three important subjects in relation to this: labour migration, workers' rights and enlargement of the EU. What is happening in the European Union in relation to these matters? And what are the Dutch government's views on them? Meijer's contribution, in summary, was as follows:

5 November 2008

US Foreign Policy Won't Be Transformed

Across Europe, the enthusiasm for Barack Obama's victory is great. This enthusiasm is based primarily on the assumption that President Obama will will bring about a complete change of direction in American foreign policy. This is, however, extremely doubtful.

International