State Secretary of Kingdom Relations and Digitisation Alexandra van Huffelen (centre) arrives at Friday’s Kingdom Council of Ministers’ meeting. (Otti Thomas/Amigoe photo)
THE HAGUE--Aruba will, for now, not get an instruction from the Kingdom Council of Ministers RMR to fix its 2022 budget. It was decided during Friday’s meeting to give Aruba an opportunity to submit its standpoint before a definite decision is taken on an instruction.
Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations and Digitisation Alexandra van Huffelen said during a digital press conference after Friday’s RMR meeting that Aruba will present its detailed response to the advice of the Aruba Committee for Financial Supervision CAFT to give Aruba an instruction to adapt the 2022 budget.
Aruba’s 2022 budget deficit is too large, in the opinion of the CAFT, and there are some things that need to be tackled in the budget to improve public finances and to implement the agreed-on reforms.
“The formal procedure started today. As part of that procedure, Aruba will give its standpoint, after which the RMR will decide whether to give an instruction or not. But I sincerely hope that it won’t get that far,” said Van Huffelen.
During the press conference, Van Huffelen announced that she will be visiting St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Curaçao in the week of September 6, together with Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Hanke Bruins Slot.
According to Van Huffelen, it is important that Aruba gets to work to adapt its budget and carry out all that is necessary to not only get the finances in order, but to also make the economy more resilient, because that will ultimately benefit everyone. “Our focus is not only on the formal part, but we mainly want to see stronger finances, a more resilient country, a better life for everyone,” she said.
Van Huffelen said she had asked Aruba to start the adaptation of its budget so an instruction would not be necessary. In October, decision-taking will take place in the RMR with regard to the submitted formal response of Aruba and the adapted 2022 budget.
As long as Aruba has not adapted its budget, it will not receive liquidity support. Therefore, the request of the Aruba government to receive a next tranche of liquidity support was put on hold as long as the process of the instruction runs.
Van Huffelen emphasised that it was important for Aruba to really implement the reforms and carry out the agreements. “I love to work together, but I will also keep the countries to the agreements that we have made,” she said, partly referring to Curaçao and St. Maarten which must implement reforms as well.
Aruba Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes stated in a press release on Friday that her government sees no basis for an instruction. “It is not necessary, because Aruba is reducing the deficit. It is not prudent to force it through, because we can’t put more pressure on the community with more measures or send people home,” she said.
Wever-Croes said she was confident that the RMR would not give an instruction. “We are sure of our case and we trust that the instruction will not be necessary. Aruba will continue to reduce the deficit and put the public finances in order,” she said.
