WILLEMSTAD – An independent evaluation has concluded that cooperation between Curaçao and the Netherlands succeeded in getting important reforms underway, but that structural change requires considerably more time.
The conclusion is disclosed in the Netherlands’ proposed 2027 Kingdom Relations budget and forms the main justification for extending the Landspakketten cooperation by another two years.
The Landspakketten were agreed with Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten at the end of 2020 following the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
They contain reforms covering some of the most important areas of government and the economy, including public financial management, government efficiency, taxation, the labor market, social security, economic policy, healthcare and education.
The reforms are implemented by Curaçao itself, while the Netherlands provides financial resources, expertise and technical assistance through the Temporary Work Organization, or TWO.
Implementation is monitored through agendas and reports prepared jointly with the countries every six months.
The independent evaluation committee concluded in 2026 that the cooperation had helped initiate the reform process. At the same time, it found that structural reforms require a longer timeframe than the existing Mutual Arrangement for Cooperation on Reforms provides.
The current agreement expires in 2027.
The Netherlands therefore wants to extend the arrangement by two years and use the remaining Landspakketten funding to support priority reforms through 2029.
That continuation is not automatic.
The Curaçao Parliament must approve an extension before the arrangement can continue. The same requirement applies to the parliaments of Aruba and Sint Maarten.
The requirement gives Curaçao Parliament a direct role in deciding whether the post-COVID reform relationship with the Netherlands should enter another phase.
The budget also states that institutional reforms eventually need to be firmly embedded within Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten themselves once the temporary cooperation arrangement comes to an end.