Nieuws van de afdeling

12 January 2006

Conference on Services Directive yields encouraging results

SP Euro-MP Kartika Liotard, who chaired the conference on the Services Directive held today at the European Parliament, welcomed guests from every single member states of the European Union, as well as Norway and Iceland. National parliamentarians, members of regional parliaments and other elected bodies, as well as representatives of social organisation and trade unions were included among the guests.

4 January 2006

12th January; International Conference on Services Directive

On Thursday 12 January the United Left Group of the European Parliament (GUE/NGL), the political group of which the SP is the Dutch section, is organising a major international conference on the Services Directive, the measure instigated by former European Commissioner Frits Bolkestein. Representatives of political and social organisations and trade unions from twenty-seven countries will gather for the conference, which takes place in Brussels.

4 January 2006

Once again, stranded passengers offered nothing but fine words

For almost a year passengers affected by delays, overbooking or cancellations of flights on which they have booked have had the rights to a reasonable amount of compensation. Yet in blatant disregard of this right, the great majority are being fobbed off with a bunch of flowers. SP Euro-MP Erik Meijer is asking the European Commission to take its own rules seriously and ensure that they are respected and applied.

27 December 2005

Dutch cabinet not prepared to show its hand over Afghanistan

The lower house of the Dutch parliament, the Netherlands' most important legislative body, has not received a clear answer to the question it posed the government as to whether the cabinet has or has not taken a decision on the sending of military forces to the south of Afghanistan. SP Foreign affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel, criticising the government's reticence, said: “The cabinet is obviously not prepared to take any position now that the smallest party in the coalition, D66, has come out on the same side of the argument as the SP, opposing the sending of troops.”

20 December 2005

Van Geel’s asbestos ‘success’ is so much hot air

SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen is astonished by the celebratory tone adopted by Secretary of State Pieter Van Geel in relation to his negotiations with asbestos corporation Eternit. In her opinion, the results of these negotiations are thoroughly disappointing. “The SP, with extensive parliamentary support, has argued for the costs of cleaning up asbestos-related pollution to fall on the company, but this subject turns out to have been shoved to one side. The reality is that Van Geel has come back empty-handed.”

19 December 2005

SP votes in favour of sending observers to Sudan

The SP's political group in the 'Tweede Kamer', the lower (and legislatively more important) house of the Dutch Parliament, has decided that the desirable and responsible course of action in response to a United Nations request for limited participation in an observers' mission to Sudan is to vote in favour, as SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel stated during today's parliamentary debate with the government.

International