Nieuws van de afdeling

1 September 2006

Van Bommel urges ban on double pensions for Euro-MPs

A legal ban on the practice whereby Dutch MEPs are able to receive double pensions is urgently needed, according to SP European affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel. “Euro-MPs from the Netherlands receive a full pension from the Dutch state,” Mr van Bommel said. “Yet despite this they can also pocket a Euro-pension, a major share of which is financed by the taxpayer. This must be stopped.”

1 September 2006

SP holds competition to design EU logo

The European Union is to hold a competition to find a design for a logo to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The catch is that only professionals are allowed to enter, and of course only wholly positive images will be considered. For these reasons the SP has decided to give everyone the chance to design an alternative logo. The woman behind the idea, SP Euro-MP Kartika Liotard, said: “Even when it comes to celebrating its anniversary Brussels is excluding more than 99 percent of the public. In our competition anyone can come along and present his or her view of the EU's history and vision of its future.”

31 August 2006

SP presents election manifesto: “A better Netherlands... for the same cost”

This afternoon saw the presentation in The Hague by SP leader Jan Marijnissen of the SP's draft election manifesto, an event which received unprecedented media attention. Its title, which translates as “A better Netherlands for the same cost” addresses fears that the Socialists in government would prove to be a tax-and-spend party, coupling the promise of improvements with the certainty of higher taxes. It demonstrates how the Netherlands could in fact become a better, more attractive and above all more socially-minded country if after the elections of 22nd November the SP formed part of a progressive government – without incurring extra expense.

29 August 2006

Foreign Minister must speak out over use of cluster bombs

SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen has described the Dutch government’s position regarding the use of cluster bombs by Israel as “disappointing and cowardly”. Foreign Minister Ben Bot refuses to take any standpoint in relation to the question of whether Israel’s possible use of cluster bombs transgresses international law governing warfare. “Dutch politicians from left to right agree that Bot must bring pressure to bear on Israel as much as on Hezbollah to consider civilians,” Ms Van Velzen said. “In doing so he cannot keep quiet over the use of cluster bombs by Israel, because that is as much of a crime as the indiscriminately targeted firing of Katusha rockets.”

29 August 2006

Dutch web pirates hijack European domain names

Since SP Euro-MP Erik Meijer put a number of questions to the European Commission drawing its attention to the hijacking of .eu domain names, organisations and companies have continued to fall victim to web pirates. The European umbrella body for research libraries, CERL, has had to pay one such band, calling itself Traffic Web Holding plc, for the right to use its own name. Reason enough for Erik Meijer to make one more attempt to sound the alert.

16 August 2006

SP and Labour agree: Asbestos ship the Otapan must return to dock and stay there

SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen and her Labour Party (PvdA) colleague Guus Krähe are demanding that Secretary of State for the Environment Pieter Van Geel ensure that the asbestos—contaminated ship the Otapan remain in dock. Doubts have been raised by experts over the accuracy of the amount of asbestos declared in the ship's consignment note, the probability being that the ship contains ten tonnes of asbestos rather than one tonne, as stated.

International