ORANJESTAD - The two-day administrative consultation in Oranjestad between Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands about the Caribbean Agency for Reform and Development (COHO) failed. The parties will continue talks in August.
Also on behalf of State Secretary Van Huffelen, Prime Ministers Pisas and Jacobs, Prime Minister Wever-Croes stated that three scenarios have been discussed, but that no agreement has been reached on any. It has been agreed that the CAS countries will use their preferred scenario in the near future – an alternative to the consensus national law COHO further develop it and submit it to the Netherlands after the summer recess.
In practical terms, the new delay has no consequences. All the tasks that COHO will have to fulfill are already being performed by the so-called Temporary Work Organization (TWO), while the countries are cooperating meekly in realizing the country packages. The lack of a Kingdom Act does not appear to stand in the way of this.
The ministers emphasized that the discussions took place in a pleasant atmosphere, but remained vague about the question of why the consultations were unsuccessful. They also refused to say which three scenarios are on the table. Observers conclude that COHO is increasingly out of sight.
During the four-country summit, the phasing out of the salary cut of 12.5% in the public and semi-public sector was also discussed. Aruba has agreed to the conditions set by the Netherlands, Curaçao and Sint Maarten have not (yet). On Friday, the Kingdom Council of Ministers will decide that the countries that agree to the conditions will be given the green light to phase out the wage intervention. Aruba thinks it can start with that in July.