Nieuws van de afdeling

25 January 2008

SP Development Spokesman joins Bolivia investment treaty protest

SP Member of Parliament Ewout Irrgang took part this morning in a protest meeting outside the Ministry of Economic Affairs against an Italian telecommunications corporation which is demanding millions of euros in compensation from Bolivia, one of Latin America's poorest countries. Eurotelecom Italia is attempting, by establishing a 'postbox company' in the Netherlands, to use the Netherlands-Bolivia investment treaty as a basis for the claim. Following the protest, Irrgang met with the Bolivian ambassador to the Netherlands to discuss the matter.

25 January 2008

EU rules put stop to free distribution of school books in the Netherlands

As a result of the system for putting contracts out to tender imposed by the EU's internal market regulations, schools in the Netherlands will no longer be allowed to distribute free books to their students. SP Euro-MP Erik Meijer, questioning the European Commission on the issue, described the system as "bureaucratic, costly and restrictive of the freedom of choice of schools to buy such books as they deem necessary."

25 January 2008

Kosovar Premier tells SP Euro-MP: ‘No revenge actions against Serbs’

Erik Meijer, Member of the European Parliament for the SP, was received this week by Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. “Kosovo’s independence could lead to punitive economic measures by Serbia,” says Meijer, “but Thaci assured me that this would have no consequences for the Serb minority in Kosovo.”

24 January 2008

Council of Europe: Kosovo negotiations must continue

The international community and the groups involved in the conflict must continue their efforts to arrive at a negotiated solution for the future status of Kosovo. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) concluded a long debate this week by voting in favour of a motion to that effect, contradicting the original proposal which had concluded that no solution was possible and that all possibilities had been exhausted. PACE also discussed recent Russian and Georgian elections, the US rocket shield, and its own financing.

23 January 2008

EU climate policy: words or deeds?

“Commission President José Barroso's presentation of the European climate plans today was enthusiastic, but while it looks good on paper, we want now to see what it adds up to in practice." This was SP Euro-MP Kartika Liotard's reaction to, on the one hand, the Commission's fine words and, on the other, recent policy measures which go completely against the environmental goals presented today.

23 January 2008

Van Bommel: Death penalty for Afghan journalist unacceptable

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel has spoken out against the condemning to death of a journalist in Afghanistan. The journalist in question had downloaded material from the Internet on the position of women in Islamic societies. "The Netherlands should make cooperation with Afghanistan dependent on whether the country is prepared to respect human rights," said the SP's and foreign affairs spokesman.

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