THE HAGUE - Is there really a breakthrough or will a difficult discussion be postponed in order not to ruin the atmosphere of the introductory visit by State Secretary Van Huffelen (BZK) to the CAS countries that starts on Thursday?
“Agreement on Kingdom Act” reads the headline above a statement by the four governments involved. However, this shows that the “final agreement” has quite a few loose ends. For example, the biggest objection of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten, that the Kingdom Act of the Caribbean Body for Reform and Development (COHO) affects the autonomy of the countries, has not been removed.
Just like under State Secretary Knops, his successor does not go further than expressing a willingness to continue the talks about this “and to make agreements”. This indicates that since the presentation of the draft law almost 2 years ago, the parties have not come much closer in terms of autonomy. Moreover, according to the joint statement, further crucial powers of COHO need to be discussed.
“Curaçao and Sint Maarten have drawn attention to a number of concerns regarding the enforceability of the law within the constitutional legal order. These points include guaranteeing policy space and autonomy of governments, the convergence between Committee Financial Supervision, C(A)ft and COHO and the space for investment to be able to implement the reforms and accompanying policies. The Netherlands has promised to discuss this and make agreements," the statement reads.
Why the governments in Willemstad, Oranjestad and Philipsburg are now suddenly satisfied with an open end is not explained. The "final agreement" does mean that the law can now be presented to parliaments for consideration. It will certainly be able to count on massive resistance on the Caribbean side.