Nieuws van de afdeling

13 September 2016

Van Gerven presents incentive plan for organic agriculture

Foto: SP

An incentive plan for organic agriculture is badly needed. For this reason SP Member of Parliament has presented a plan – in the form of what is known in the Dutch parliamentary system as an “initiative note” – to strengthen the sector. “We don’t want agriculture which leads to pollution of the environment, puts our health at risk and harms the welfare of animals,” he says. “Organic agriculture is a good, sustainable alternative and can contribute to better farming. Government after government has unfortunately set the sector back. It’s time rather to provide it with incentives.”

13 September 2016

Roemer: Stop negotiations with Turkey on EU accession

Negotiations with Turkey over accession to the EU must be halted. This was the view stated by SP leader Emile Roemer on Tuesday in the parliamentary debate on the aftermath of the failed coup attempt in Turkey. “The rule of law and freedom of the press are under heavy pressure in Turkey,” noted Roemer. “some 100,000 people have been laid off or suspended. Tens of thousands are under arrest. Press freedom has been destroyed. Last weekend, moreover, dozens of elected mayors were unceremoniously fired. A country where freedom is under such pressure cannot become a member of the European Union. So negotiations must be stopped.”

2 September 2016

SP forces transparency in arbitration debate

Foto: Acid the meme machine

Under pressure from the SP, the European Parliament's informal legal advice on the soon to be established internatioal Investment Court System (ICS) is to be made public. Publication of the relevant documents will make possible an open social debate over the proposals, leaving the way open to an official opinion from the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

29 August 2016

How the Netherlands made it possible to create the ‘Islamic’ nuclear bomb

Ronald van Raak: “I want rehabilitation for whistleblower Frits Veerman”

28 August 2016

End TTIP talks now

Foto: SP

SP Euro-MP Anne-Marie Mineur is calling on European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström to put an immediate stop to negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Jasper van Dijk, an SP Member of the national Parliament in The Hague, is issuing the same appeal to Trade Minister Lilianne Ploumen. In an interview with German television, the country’s Minister for Economic Affairs Sigmar Gabriel acknowledged that since the start of the talks agreement has not been reached on a single chapter. According to Gabriel this is because the European Union will not accede to the Americans’ demands. The SP has opposed the trade treaty with the United States, as well as the CETA, the similar agreement with Canada, since the very start.

4 August 2016

Harry van Bommel: Support Aleppo with aid from the air

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders warned early this week that a catastrophe of enormous proportions was threatening in Aleppo. Syria’s President Assad has the town surrounded, and 300,000 people are stuck there. Death through starvation is an immediate threat, and shortages of medicines have already cost lives. Diplomatic pressure on Assad to lift the siege and permit humanitarian aid is of course needed, but the chance of this working is small. Emergency aid from the air could be the only possible solution.

International