| Nicky91 |
23-05-2019 09:05 AM |
Netherlands: to the polls for EU elections
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/0...-european-mps/
Quote:
The Netherlands goes to the polls on Thursday to elect the 26 Dutch members of the European parliament.Polling stations opened at 7.30, although some opened overnight, and will close this evening at 9pm. The results will not be announced until Sunday, but there will be exit polls on Thursday evening, giving an indication of how the Netherlands voted.
PvdA (Labour)
Campaign leader: Frans Timmermans
Motto: Voor een zeker Europa (for an assured/confident Europe)
Member of EU parliament’s Party of European Socialists (S&D)
Number of MEPs: 3 Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Create safe, legal immigration routes for refugees and prevent human traffickingIntroduce a European profit tax for major tech companies
- Introduce a CO2 tax for companies, and a flight tax to encourage train travel
- Equalise labour rights across Europe to stop unfair competition
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CDA (Christian Democrats)
Campaign leader: Esther de Lange
Motto: Een sterk Europa (A strong Europe)
Member of EU parliament’s European People’s Party (EPP)
Number of MEPs: 5 Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Reduce the number of subsidies, replacing these with loans to increase budget efficiency
- Unify European immigration policy to prevent ‘asylum shopping’ Limit migration and
- Allow for more regional decisionmakingStricter consequences for not meeting financial goals, such as temporary expulsion from the eurozone
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D66 (Liberal Democrats)
Campaign leader: Sophie in ‘t Veld
Motto: In Europa maken we de toekomst (Our future is in Europe)
Member of EU parliament’s Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
Number of MEPs: 4 Website (English)
Main manifesto points:
- Increase European cooperation and representation
- A permanent European seat on the UN security council and other international organisations
- Create a European military force and a European intelligence serviceEurope should run on clean, CO2 free energy by 2050
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VVD (right-wing Liberals)
Campaign leader: Malik Azmani
Motto: Voor een sterk Nederland in een veilig Europa (For a strong Netherlands in a safe Europe
Member of EU parliament’s Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
Number of MEPs: 3 Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Reduce the EU to its core tasks, reducing costs in the process
- Cut farming subsidies and invest in innovation
- Increase the CO2 reduction goal for 2030 and allow countries to decide how to meet this goal
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PVV (pro-Nexit, anti-immigration)
Campaign leader: Marcel de Graaff
Motto: Nederland op 1 (The Netherlands first)
Member of EU parliament’s Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF)
Number of MEPs: 4 Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Leave the EU, Schengen Area and eurozone
- Close borders to all migrants from Islamic countries, and deislamise the Netherlands
- Reinstate border controls and limit immigration
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Groenlinks (left-wing, green)
Campaign leader: Bas Eickhout
Motto: Voor verandering (For change)
Member of EU parliament’s European Green Party
Number of MEPs: 2 Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Close all coal power plants by 2030
- Introduce taxes to discourage air travel, and encourage train travel by introducing highspeed trains across Europe
- Limit the power of tech giants, and make European agreements to ensure that major companies pay their fair share of taxes
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Forum voor Democracy (nationalist, pro-Nexit)
Campaign leader: Derk Jan Eppink
Motto: Een Europa van natiestaten (A Europe of nation states)
Number of MEPs: 0, forecast to win four to five Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Leave the Paris Climate Agreement
- Leave the Schengen Area
- Hold a referendum on whether to get rid of the euro
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ChristenUnie/SGP (Conservative Christian parties)
Campaign leader: Peter van Dalen
Motto: Samenwerking ja, superstaat nee (Cooperation yes, super state no)
Member of EU parliament’s European Reformists and Conservatives group
Number of MEPs: 2 Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Limit the powers of the European parliament and the European Commission
- Create exit strategies for the Schengen Area and the eurozone, and disconnect EU membership from the obligation to enter the eurozone
- Remove ‘creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe’ sentence from the Treaty of Maastricht
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SP (Socialist Party)
Campaign leader: Arnout Hoekstra
Motto: Breek de macht van Brussel (Break the power of Brussels)
Member of EU parliament’s European United Left–Nordic Green Left alliance
Number of MEPs: 2 Website (English)
Main manifesto points:
- Provide aid for vulnerable refugees and divide them across the whole EU while limiting economic migration
- Drastically reduce financial aid to struggling countries and banks
- Increase national control over social security questions such as pensions
- Create EU-wide agreements on minimum wages
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DENK (pro Turkey, left leaning)
Campaign leader: Ayhan Tonça
Motto: Denkend aan Europa (Thinking of Europe)
Number of MEPs: 0 Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Expand the European Union, adding Turkey and the Balkan countries
- Institute a racism tax for countries that don’t do enough to combat discrimination, and give the European Court of Human Rights more manpower and tools to take on discrimination cases
- Establish a European army, leaving control with the member states
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Partij voor de Dieren (animal rights party)
Campaign leader: Anja Hazekamp
Motto: Plan B voor Europa (Plan B for Europe)
Member of EU Parliament’s Animal Politics EU
Number of MEPs: 1 Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Establish stricter animal rights laws and stop overfishing
-Cut farming subsidies
- Stricter climate legislation, especially for companies
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50PLUS (populist pensioners party)
Campaign leader: Toine Manders
Motto: De menselijke maat moet terug in Europa (Bring back the human dimension in Europe)
Number of MEPs: 0 Website (Dutch only)
- Improve the position of seniors and prohibit any form of age discrimination
- Appoint a commissioner for the issues related to the ageing of the population
- Limit European legislation, give more power to member statesIncrease European cooperation on the sustainability front
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ezus Leeft (Jesus Lives)
Campaign leader: Florens van der Spek
Motto: Volg Jezus (Follow Jesus)
Number of MEPs: 0 Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Leave the EU It costs too much. Just listen to Jesus
- Ban abortion and euthanasia
- Ban smoking and drugs because too many people are depressed
- Stimulate the use of renewable energy and electric cars
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De Groenen (green)
Campaign leader: Paul Berendsen
Number of MEPs: 0 Motto: Basisinkomen: brandstof van de economie (Basic income: fuel of the economy)
Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Institute a basic income to stimulate the economy
- Limit the usage of fossil fuels and transition to climateneutral energy
- Allow the European parliament to propose legislation, a power that is currently held by the European Commission
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Piratenpartij (pro-privacy)
Campaign leader: Sent Wierda
Member of EU parliament’s Greens European Free Alliance
Number of MEPs: 0 Website (Dutch only)
Main manifesto points:
- Give more power to EU citizens, including the right to vote on legislation and propose legislation via an eparticipation tool
- Strengthen European privacy legislation
- Make ‘digital participation’ a fundamental European right
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Volt Nederland (pan-European)
Campaign leader: Reinier van Lanschot
Member of EU parliament’s Volt Europa
Number of MEPs: 0 Website (in English)
Main manifesto points:
- Establish a federal Europe with a European government
- Increase transparency in the European Union
- Adopt a minimum income above poverty level in all member states
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Polling stations have been opened in a number of unusual places, including 63 at railway stations to catch commuters.
In total, 13.5 million people are eligible to vote in the Netherlands, including 60,000 EU nationals who have registered to take part here. Turnout is usually under 40%
All EU residents will vote over the next four days for candidates to fill the 751 seats in the European parliament. Only the Netherlands and Britain are voting on Thursday.
The Christian Democrats are currently the biggest grouping in Brussels, with the Dutch CDA contributing five seats. But pundits say they expect far right and nationalist groupings to make major gains this year.
In the Netherlands, newcomer and Nexit party Forum voor Democratie is neck and neck with the ruling pro-Europe VVD Liberals in the European election polls.
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