THE HAGUE - The decision of the Rutte cabinet to withdraw 200 million euros from the National Growth Fund and make it available for projects in Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten has raised questions, especially from the VVD party. This is evident from the input of the factions in the Second Chamber regarding the decision.
The members of the VVD faction in the Dutch parliament have taken note of the letter regarding the implementation of the provision in the coalition agreement concerning the availability of EZK financing instruments for the entire Kingdom. The members of the VVD faction read that funds from the National Growth Fund will be transferred to the budget of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) in order to finance projects in Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten (the CAS countries). These members read that a total of 200 million euros can be made available. If the first allocation of 100 million euros is exceeded with high-quality proposals, a second allocation of another 100 million euros can take place.
These members of the VVD faction have the following questions regarding this matter. Based on what criteria did the Minister decide that 200 million euros would be a profitable contribution? Additionally, these members inquire whether the Minister can explain how these amounts were determined and how they relate to the available resources in the National Growth Fund for the Netherlands, both per capita and in terms of GDP per country.
Furthermore, could the Minister indicate the conditions that will be assessed for a second allocation to determine if the desired criteria have been met?
The members of the VVD faction note that the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) states that the opening of the National Growth Fund for the CAS countries is not legally possible. The reference to this legal justification appears to be incorrect. Could you provide a brief and substantiated explanation of this legal basis? Additionally, these members inquire whether any other options were explored besides allocating 200 million euros from the National Growth Fund. If so, could the Minister indicate what these options were and why they were not chosen? For example, was it considered to achieve the opening of the National Growth Fund by allowing CAS institutions to participate in Growth Fund applications with applicants in the Netherlands? If no other options were considered, could the Minister explain why not?
The members of the VVD faction inquire whether an assessment has been made of the absorptive capacity of such a large amount for the CAS countries, taking into account other funds recently made available to them.
Additionally, the members of the VVD faction note that the National Growth Fund was established to strengthen the sustainable earning capacity of the Netherlands by investing in projects that contribute to long-term economic growth. Considering that the CAS countries will now indirectly receive funds from the National Growth Fund, they ask to what extent applications from these countries must meet criteria similar to those set by the National Growth Fund. Can the Minister clarify this?
The members of the VVD faction ask how the funds are being withdrawn from the National Growth Fund: only upon approval of applications or is the total amount allocated at once? And if the amount requested in the first tranche is less than 100 million, will the remaining amount remain available in the National Growth Fund? The members of the VVD faction note that promising themes have been identified for funding. To what extent are these goals comparable to those of the National Growth Fund? Is the form of financing already determined, such as subsidies or the provision of risk-bearing capital, or is it a combination? Can the Minister also indicate if there is a time horizon associated with the opening, after which an evaluation of efficiency and effectiveness will be conducted, and what the outcomes of such an evaluation could be?
The members of the VVD faction note that the National Growth Fund has a specific governance structure, where applications are assessed and shaped under strict conditions and regulations, following a dedicated process. Can the Minister indicate how she intends to establish the governance of this facility?
Finally, the VVD faction notes that investing in six themes has been identified as promising. To what extent is any commitment expected from the governance of the CAS countries to contribute to investments in these themes themselves? These members also observe that the CAS countries are asked to reflect on the chosen themes, so that further focus can be applied if desired. What are the implications for the Dutch contribution if the CAS countries indicate that they do not see opportunities in the themes considered promising by the Netherlands? Could the Minister elaborate on this?