THE HAGUE – Eric van der Burg will visit Curaçao in April as part of his first official tour of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom since the new Dutch cabinet took office.
Van der Burg announced the trip during his first digital press meeting with Caribbean media following the formation of the new government in The Hague.
According to the state secretary, a visit to Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire is scheduled for April 12. In May, he plans to travel to Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius.
The visits are intended to allow the state secretary to meet local leaders in person after initial digital discussions with officials in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
During his first ten days in office, Van der Burg held talks with the island governors of the BES islands, as well as with the governors and prime ministers of the autonomous Caribbean countries within the Kingdom. He also met with the ministers plenipotentiary of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten in The Hague.
Financial Supervision Proposal for Aruba
Van der Burg also addressed decisions taken during the first meeting of the Kingdom Council of Ministers under the new Dutch government.
Among the decisions was the submission of a proposal for a law on sustainable public finances for Aruba to the Council of State of the Netherlands.
The proposed legislation, known as the HOFA law, aims to introduce a form of financial oversight for Aruba similar to the system currently applied to Curaçao and Sint Maarten through the College financieel toezicht.
Equal Importance Within the Kingdom
Van der Burg stressed that the Caribbean islands are just as important to the new Dutch government as the European part of the Netherlands. He said Prime Minister Rob Jetten had also emphasized this following the Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting.
According to the state secretary, the Kingdom consists of four equal countries — the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten — as established under the Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Van der Burg said the Caribbean prime ministers had expressed interest in strengthening cooperation with the new Dutch government and welcomed opportunities for direct discussions with Dutch officials.
Planned Visit by Caribbean Prime Ministers
In addition to the upcoming visits to the Caribbean, preparations are also underway for a working visit by the Caribbean prime ministers to the Netherlands.
The meeting would allow them to hold talks with Prime Minister Jetten and Van der Burg about further strengthening cooperation within the Kingdom.
Regional security was also discussed during recent meetings. According to Van der Burg, Curaçao and Aruba have shown particular interest in expanding cooperation with the Netherlands in the areas of defense and regional security.