THE HAGUE - The Dutch House of Representatives' Kingdom Relations Committee has postponed two key debates concerning the CAS countries (Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten) and the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba).
The debate on the CAS countries, originally scheduled for September 25, has been delayed because State Secretary Szolt Zsabó is required for another session in the plenary hall. A proposal to combine this debate with the upcoming Kingdom Relations budget discussions was rejected by committee members Aukje de Vries (VVD), Faith Bruyning (NSC), Peter van Haasen (PVV), and acting chair Raoul White (GroenLinks-PvdA), who preferred a separate debate. The CAS countries discussion is now set for November 7.
Additionally, the debate on the social minimum for the BES islands, initially slated for November 21, has been postponed to December 11. The delay allows the committee to include findings from the upcoming release of the "Broad Prosperity Monitor Caribbean Netherlands" by CBS, scheduled for November 29, due to its relevance to the issue of the social minimum.