THE HAGUE - The Dutch national budget was presented yesterday in The Hague. The consequences of the coronavirus are clearly visible, also on the Caribbean countries in the Kingdom. The Dutch government is in the process of reforming Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten (CAS). This affects the BES fund. The cabinet emphasizes that the recovery plans for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES) will be strengthened after the pandemic.

According to the Rutte cabinet, the situation in 2021 has only deteriorated further. Tourism has come to a standstill. This is the largest source of income, which has also caused the economy to shrink. There is an increase in unemployment and poverty.

Undersecretary Raymond Knops of Kingdom Relations continues to insist on the conditions associated with the provision of liquidity support. Measures and reforms from the Country Packages should complement the resilience of the CAS countries. The Caribbean Organ for Reform and Development (COHO) will monitor the elaboration of the National Packages. The Dutch government has reserved a total of 314 million guilders for the COHO from 2021 to 2026. As long as the COHO is not yet there, there will be cooperation between the Netherlands and the Caribbean countries.