Nieuws van de afdeling

15 February 2005

European Parliament United Left Group to organise hearing on Services Directive

The United Left Group (GUE/NGL), the European Parliamentary political group to which the SP is affiliated, is organising a hearing on the Services Directive to take place on Friday 18th March. Group president Francis Wurtz (France) hopes to see as many people as possible at the hearing, and has issued invitations to activists from social organisations and trade unions.

14 February 2005

Stop US nuclear weapons training in the Wadden

SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen finds the holding of ‘Nuclear Strike’ exercises on the Wadden Islands unacceptable and is demanding that the government put an immediate end to co-operation with any such exercises. A US research group has found that by 1994 two operational bases offering training in the use of nuclear weapons already existed on the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling. The SP wants to know whether these bases remain operational and is demanding an end be put to any possibility of co-operation in exercises involving the use of weapons of mass destruction.

10 February 2005

Security Council must take action against US and the Netherlands

Condoleezza Rice is demanding that the UN Security Council take action to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen has proposed that in that case it should at the same time move against the US and the Netherlands.

10 February 2005

Important victory in struggle against software patents

The SP yesterday scored an important victory in the battle to stop what have become known as frivolous or trivial patents. By 71 votes to 69, a motion proposed by SP Member of Parliament Arda Gerkens was adopted. The motion called on the secretary of state to oppose a vote on the proposed directive at the EU Council of Ministers until it is clear that the matter will be sent back to the Commission for reconsideration and the legislative procedure begun anew.

28 January 2005

European Constitution would turn the clock back on agriculture policy – to the 1950s

The current President of the European Council of Agriculture Ministers, Mr Fernand Boden of Luxembourg, looked rather stunned when confronted this week by the enormous contradictions between the goals of the proposed reforms of European agricultural policy and the completely outmoded text which is the article dealing with that same theme in the European constitution. This text was taken lock, stock and barrel from the old Treaty establishing the European Community and refers exclusively to the increase of production. To my question at to whether he could therefore, given his stated views, be counted amongst the opponents of the proposed constitution, he still owes me an answer.

26 January 2005

New presidents seek European platform

Following this week’s welcome accorded to the newly-chosen Presidents of the Ukraine and Georgia, SP Senator Tiny Kox wants to see an invitation extended by the Council of Europe to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Such a gesture by the Council of Europe’s forty-six member states would demonstrate their commitment to a rapid and peaceful end to the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

International