Nieuws van de afdeling

21 April 2006

Netherlands must demand improvement in spending of EU moneys in Russia

SP Member of Parliament and European affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel has asked Secretary of State Atzo Nicolaï for clarification regarding the spending of EU subsidies in Russia, arguing that the Netherlands must put the European Commission under pressure to take steps to improve the effectiveness of subsidised projects. Mr Van Bommel's request was prompted by the damning judgement of the European Court of Auditors in relation to these subsidies.

19 April 2006

SP holds 27 key decision-making positions in 20 local authorities

Local elections in the Netherlands are usually followed in each town or district by complex negotiations between the various parties. Eventually two, three or more parties will reach an agreement and take office, forming what is known as a “college” to run the local authority. Members of these colleges are known as “wethouders” (literally 'keepers of the law'), roughly equivalent to Committee Chairs in the system used in England and Wales and many parts of the US, or to Conveners in Scotland. These colleges may be made up of parties of the left and centre-left, or of the various centre-right parties, but they often bring together elements from across the political spectrum.

19 April 2006

ISAF mission in Uruzgan is becoming a war mission

The security situation in the Afghan province of Uruzgan, where since August Dutch troops have been participating in NATO's operation ISAF, has deteriorated significantly. The number of attacks and ambushes carried out by the Taliban is greatly increasing. The Netherlands plans therefore to send additional soldiers to the region. SP Member of Parliament and Foreign Affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel believes that the mission should be looked at afresh. “This is not the mission approved by parliament in February,” he said. “That was supposed to be a reconstruction mission, but this is clearly a mission of war. The Netherlands must not act as a temporary US workforce, fighting a large-scale war in Afghanistan.”

19 April 2006

EU: ‘GM food isn't safe’

SP Euro-MP Kartika Liotard has put written questions to the European Commission concerning genetically modified (GM) foodstuffs of uncertain quality, which, despite serious doubts about their safety have nevertheless found their way on to European consumers' plates. The European Commission did everything it could to hold back this information until environmental organisations managed to get hold of it.

15 April 2006

Joint Strike Fighter decision must be delayed until after election

Secretary of State for Defence Cees van der Knaap must delay a decision on the purchase of dozens of Joint Strike Fighters until after a general election, according to SP Member of Parliament and defence spokeswoman Krista van Velzen. Ms Van Velzen points to the announcement by the United States Congress that production will be two years behind schedule, while the purchase price has risen by 30 percent. “To decide under these new circumstances whether to go ahead with the purchase of the JSF is a question for a parliamentary inquest which could take a number of years,” said Van Velzen, explaining why she had asked the Defence Secretary for clarification on the issue.

14 April 2006

Council of Europe rejects ‘EU empire building’

The European Union's plan to usurp the core tasks of the Council of Europe by establishing its own agency for human rights has been rejected by Members of Parliament from its forty-six member states. Such an agency would mean throwing away millions of euros in reproducing the work of the Council of Europe, which has for more than half a century concerned itself with human rights issues, via its parliamentary assembly (PACE), the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) and the European Commissioner for Human Rights.

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