Nieuws van de afdeling

11 January 2008

Van Bommel demands explanation of evidence of Netherlands' participation in 'Enduring Freedom'

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel will use Tuesday's parliamentary question time to demand answers from Defence Minister Eimert van Middelkoop regarding Dutch involvement in military operations outside of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) territory. The unauthorised involvement was revealed by a German military officer in a newly-published book, Endstation Kabul.

11 January 2008

Government must stop abuse of Bolivia investment treaty by Italian multinational

De SP is seeking to prevent the Netherlands being misused by an Italian telecoms corporation which is attempting to claim millions in compensation from one of South America's poorest countries, Bolivia. Eurotelecom Italia has established a 'postbox company' in the Netherlands – a sham corporation which in reality consists of nothing but an address from which mail can be forwarded – with the intention of taking advantage of an investment treaty between the Netherlands and Bolivia.

7 January 2008

SP Development Spokesman Visits Ethiopia

SP Member of Parliament and spokesman on development issues Ewout Irrgang is to visit Ethiopia as part of a delegation from the Foreign Affairs Committee which will arrive in the country on 8th January and stay until the 14th. During his time in Ethiopia, Irrgang will have the opportunity along with other members of the delegation to talk with Prime Minister Mélès Zénawi, examine development projects and Dutch firms active in the country, and visit the refugee camp in the Ogaden near the border with Somalia.

2 January 2008

'EU must demand Kenya recount'

The SP is asking the European Union to demand a recount under independent supervision of the votes in the Kenyan elections, in order to prevent the further escalation of violence. SP Senator Eric Smaling,who was present in Kenya as an official election observer, and Member of Parliament Ewout Irrgang, the party's spokesman on development issues, are urging the EU to act.

30 December 2007

SP speaks out against banning Iranian students from attending Technical Universities

SP Members of Parliament Harry van Bommel and Renske Leijten today presented the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Education with parliamentary questions regarding the refusal of Technical Universities (TUs) in the Netherlands to continue to accept Iranians either as students or as staff. The move by the TUs followed a demand from the national Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) for guarantees that Iranians working or studying in universities would not have access to information on nuclear technologies.

20 December 2007

Duty on kerosene would help combat climate change

The amount of attention given to climate change has grown hugely. Quite rightly, as it is a problem of which almost everyone has experience. It is remarkable that air travel, as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, remains invariably out of the picture when measures to combat climate change are taken. This sector is responsible for over 10 per cent of the total climate impact of the Netherlands, and without intervention this share is set to double.

International