SP European elections 2014 manifesto

corporations. Trade and investment treaties now include dispute settlement mechanisms enabling corporations to sue states for damages in the event of lost income as a result of environmental or social regulations. This threatens the ability of governments to apply their own policies. Damage compensation would be at the expense of the taxpayer. We want to see this sort of dispute settlement abolished.

The EU must cease its attempts to gain tariff-free access to developing countries and unfair trade agreements must be suspended. Such treaties undermine developing countries’ agricultural sectors and food security making them even more dependent on the purchase of food on the world market, while state revenue falls as a result of the loss of income from tariffs.

All countries in Europe with the exception of Belarus and the Vatican are members of the Council of Europe and must adhere to the European Convention on Human Rights. The EU should ratify this treaty in its own right, respect decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and where necessary adapt EU legislation accordingly.

The Netherlands should re-establish its leading position in development cooperation.

We will work together with other countries in Europe if that has clear benefits beyond what can be achieved alone or via multilateral organisations.

Developing countries must be able to protect their agricultural markets. State support for these is denied, while the EU and US continue what for them is a longstanding practice.

European countries must stop dumping farm products in developing countries.

Dumping waste in developing countries must be dealt with severely.

The EU should support international organisations which function well instead of trying to take over their tasks. The need to cooperate in this way applies particularly in the cases of the UN and the Council of Europe.