WILLEMSTAD – Eddie van Marum, the newly appointed State Secretary for Kingdom Relations in the Netherlands, says he is enthusiastic about taking on his new portfolio. Van Marum succeeds Zsolt Szabó, who stepped down after just eleven months following the collapse of his party PVV’s coalition agreement in The Hague. 

Speaking to the Caribbean press for the first time, Van Marum emphasized his commitment to continuing work on good governance and financial stability. These areas, he believes, are key to creating real perspective and opportunity for people in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. "People are at the heart of everything I do, just as they are in my other portfolio, Groningen Reconstruction," he stated. 

Van Marum, a member of the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BoerenBurgerBeweging, BBB), also highlighted food security as one of his top priorities. He pledged to actively work on this issue in cooperation with the island governments. 

The new state secretary also announced plans to visit the Caribbean countries of the Kingdom for the first time from August 10 to 15. While he has already held several meetings on Kingdom Relations in The Hague, Van Marum admitted he is still immersed in his onboarding process. Notably, he has never before visited the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. 

His upcoming trip is expected to be a crucial opportunity to build relationships and see firsthand the challenges and opportunities in the region.