THE HAGUE - State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Zsolt Szabó has stated that establishing an Economic Growth Platform Caribbean (EGC) would not add value to the current initiatives the Dutch government has in place to support the economic development of the Caribbean territories within the Kingdom. This announcement comes in response to a motion by Member of Parliament Mpanzu Bamenga (D66), set for a vote on Tuesday.
The proposed EGC was suggested as an alternative to a Caribbean Regional Development Corporation, an idea previously dismissed by Economic Affairs Minister Bejaarts. Szabó clarified that the decision was not based on financial considerations. “During the debate on the Kingdom Relations budget, there may have been an impression that the potential financial impact of establishing such a platform was a deciding factor in discouraging the motion. However, this was not the case,” Szabó explained.
According to Szabó, the government is already meeting the needs of the Caribbean territories through a range of strategies, including:
Supporting specific economic development strategies tailored for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba;
Conducting assessments of physical infrastructure on these islands;
Planning to allow public entities to access capital markets for funding;
Deploying the Temporary Work Organization (TWO) for the countries;
Leveraging the services of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) for the entire Caribbean region.
Szabó emphasized that he and the Minister of Economic Affairs believe these existing measures sufficiently address the region's economic needs and that the EGC would not add further value. “My colleague and I are committed to continuing these efforts to lay a sustainable foundation for ongoing economic development in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.”