WILLEMSTAD - The parliament of Curaçao has allocated a budget of 600,000 guilders for foreign travel in the upcoming year, a substantial increase compared to previous years.
This budget will cover expenses such as airfare, daily allowances, hotel accommodations, travel insurance, and other related costs.
In 2022, the allocated budget amounted to 6.6 million guilders, with 5.8 million actually spent. By the midpoint of that year, the budget for business trips had already been exceeded by one hundred thousand guilders. To ensure the continuation of these trips, members of parliament suggested cutting expenses in other parliamentary areas.
Despite facing mounting criticism from the public, the MPs have expressed their intention to persist with these missions, leading to a significant increase in the allocated budget. In September 2022, Charetti America-Francisca (MFK), the President of Parliament, had to cancel some trips due to insufficient funds.
For the year 2024, the budget earmarked for overseas missions stands at 21.5 million guilders.