WILLEMSTAD – The travel budget of the Curaçao Parliament will increase next year from 880,000 guilders to 924,000 guilders, according to the draft desirability budget discussed Wednesday in Parliament’s Central Committee.
The increase represents a 5 percent rise and is intended to absorb expected price increases and higher costs linked to international developments.
According to the budget proposal, the travel allocation covers official business trips by Members of Parliament, accommodation expenses, travel insurance, and costs related to receiving foreign guests.
The travel budget has been a recurring point of criticism in recent years, particularly because previous budgets were reportedly exceeded in practice.
Much of the criticism has focused on overseas official trips by parliamentarians, including participation in meetings of Parlatino across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Critics have questioned whether such travel expenses are proportionate at a time when Curaçao continues to face economic pressure and public scrutiny over government spending.
The proposed budget will now move to a public parliamentary debate before being forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for inclusion in the national budget framework for 2027.