THE HAGUE – The approval of the Kingdom Relations and BES Fund budget has been delayed by another week after the Dutch Senate decided not to fast-track the proposal but instead hold a vote next week.
State Secretary for Kingdom Relations, Zsolt Szabó, appeared to have reassured the Senate today by guaranteeing that the €800,000 budget cut for administrative costs related to the Slavery Fund would not impact project funding. If the allocated budget for administrative costs proves insufficient, Szabó committed to covering the shortfall from other budget lines. His remarks came after persistent questioning from Senator Peter Nicolaï of the Party for the Animals.
Additionally, Boris Dittrich (D66) sought clarification on whether the budget cut would affect grant applications for the Slavery Fund, to which Szabó responded that applications would continue to be processed as planned.
The delay in approving the budget means that the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) cannot yet access funds reserved for Saba’s port development and road projects in Bonaire. However, a majority of the Senate is expected to approve the budget in next week’s vote.