THE HAGUE – Not all objectives of the Landspakketten (Country Packages) will be achieved by the already extended deadline of 2027. This was revealed to members of the Dutch Parliament's Kingdom Relations Committee during a technical briefing by officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) today.
When PVV representative Peter van Haasen raised the obvious question of whether Dutch involvement would be extended again, committee members were directed to State Secretary Zsolt Szabó (or his successor), as the matter is a political decision. Szabó has previously stated that Dutch support will end in 2027, regardless of whether all reforms have been completed.
Despite concerns over the effectiveness of the reform approach, Judith Jeurissen, program manager of the Temporary Work Organization (TWO)—a group of Dutch civil servants assisting the islands with the implementation of the Country Packages—defended the progress made. She highlighted several significant achievements and dismissed claims that Caribbean governments were resisting the reforms. These reforms were imposed by the Netherlands in exchange for low-interest COVID-19 relief loans.
Notably, the briefing was only partially accessible to the public, including via livestream. No explanation was provided for why the second part of the meeting was held behind closed doors, leading to speculation that sensitive information—possibly not intended for Caribbean audiences—was discussed.