Nieuws van de afdeling

16 February 2006

Services Directive a heavy blow for hopes of a 'social Europe'

The European Parliament today voted by 391 votes to 213 in favour of the Services Directive, a vote which represents a new low-point in European history. Even the somewhat diluted proposal which today found the support of a majority will set in motion a downwards spiral. Reacting to the vote, SP Euro-MP Kartika Liotard said, “Not for the first time those who are supposed to represent the peoples of Europe have failed to do so. But the fight goes on, and in the Netherlands we must put the government under pressure not to accept this liberalisation.”

15 February 2006

Netherlands accessory to secret CIA flights

According to SP foreign affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel, the Netherlands is an accessory to the secret transport of CIA prisoners. Mr Van Bommel came to this conclusion on the basis of flight data gathered by the Ministry of Transport which have been made public as a result of the 'WOB' procedure, the Dutch equivalent of the Freedom of Information law. Human Rights Watch has identified flights whose existence is revealed in these data as involving the illegal transport of suspected terrorists. “The Netherlands is not only guilty of the secret transport of these suspects but at the same time of being the dogsbody of the US, which is acting in breach of international law.”

14 February 2006

Tens of thousands demonstrate against Bolkestein’s Services Directive

In front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, tens of thousands demonstrated against the so-called Services Directive originally brought forward by now ex-European Commissioner Frits Bolkestein. Amongst them could be found a delegation of SP members, including Harry van Bommel, MP and Euro-MPs Erik Meijer and Kartika Liotard. The number of demonstrators exceeded all expectations.

13 February 2006

No military solution to problem of Iranian nuclear policy

SP foreign affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel has asked the Foreign Minister to give his views on reports in reputable international media sources that the United States plans to attack Iran.

13 February 2006

The Netherlands must not allow Brussels to interfere in matters of criminal law

The European Commission continues to make attempts to stick its nose into what should be exclusively Dutch affairs. Despite the fact that the member states have, according to the EU Treaty, complete control over their legal systems, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has seen fit to give the Commission the right to enforce its directives through the criminal law. This ruling reflects proposed treaty changes contained in the European Constitution which was, for good reason, rejected by a clear majority of the Dutch electorate. The SP has for several months been pushing the Minister of Justice to exclude any input from the European Constitutions into the criminal law in the member states.

13 February 2006

Compensation for asbestos victims: Now it's time to tackle the culprits

Today Christian Democrat Secretary of State for the Environment Peter Van Geel announced that he was prepared to offer non-work related victims of asbestos a pre-payment against eventual compensation for damages. Work-related victims have enjoyed such a right for some time, in recognition of the tragic fact that many die before there has been time for full legal proceedings to be completed. The move to offer the same right to victims whose exposure did not occur in the workplace – such as people in the region of Goor, where paths and farmyards were routinely paved with waste from asbestos factories – was first proposed in a recent parliamentary resolution put forward by SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen. her motion was in fact rejected, but Mr Van Geel's announcement shows that the government has nevertheless taken it up. Ms Van Velzen hopes that the minister will now take on Eternit.

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