Nieuws van de afdeling

7 May 2016

Anne-Marie Mineur: If Malmström means what she says, she has to put an end to TTIP

Foto: CC

European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström won’t give way to the Americans’ desire to lower our standards, and nor will she accept products on our market that fail to fulfil these standards. Malmström made these statements in response to last Monday’s TTIP leaks. If she’s speaking the truth, then it would be better if the Commission were to halt the negotiations. The question is, does Malmström have another agenda?

3 May 2016

Breakthrough as Timmermans agrees to give more information on lobbyists’ influence

Foto: SP

On 2nd May the European Parliament hosted a meeting on the introduction of a compulsory transparency register for lobbyists.

28 April 2016

Harry van Bommel: Turkey’s repression crosses the line

Freedom of expression and of the press have been under pressure for some years in Turkey, a fact confirmed by the World Press Freedom Index published annually by Reporters Without Borders. In 2014 Turkey recorded a poor result, but fell further last year to as low as 151st, only 29 off the bottom position, and lower than Venezuela, Russia or Tadzhikistan. In comparison the Netherlands came second.

28 April 2016

Belgian French-speaking region votes to put brakes on CETA

The Walloon Parliament – the regional assembly which represents the inhabitants of Belgium’s French-speaking southern region – has voted to reject the signing of CETA, the trade treaty recently concluded between the European Union and Canada. As a result, Belgium will be obliged to abstain whenever the subject is raised in the European Council, the body which directly represents the heads of EU member state governments. With their vote in the regional parliament, which enjoys extensive powers under Belgium’s federal system of government, the Walloons have dealt the treaty a hefty blow.

28 April 2016

Merkies summons ECB boss Draghi to Dutch Parliament

European Central Bank (ECB) head Mario Draghi must appear before the Parliament of the Netherlands to give an explanation of his policies. A majority in Parliament’s main legislative chamber voted on Thursday to support SP Member of Parliament Arnold Merkies’ proposal that Draghi be summonsed. Explaining the move, Merkies says ‘Draghi increasingly talks like a politician, yet no-one elected him. It’s time that he answered for his policies in front of representatives of the people.’

27 April 2016

TTIP-'transparency' adds very little

The SP has reacted critically to the attempt by the European Commission to increase transparency in relation to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Pact, the TTIP. The publication on the state of affairs in the TTIP negotiations includes little relevant new information and only serves to show how far the treaty remains from completion.

International