As has been agreed in the Mutual Arrangement for Cooperation on Reforms, the prime ministers of Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten and the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations have appointed an evaluation committee. This committee will provide insight into the functioning, effectiveness and impact of the Mutual Arrangement.
Image: © Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland
Mutual Arrangement
Representatives from the countries of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands signed the Country Packages at the end of 2020. These agreements were entered into to provide liquidity support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each Country Package contains a broad range of reforms which are intended to increase the economic resilience and governance capacity of the Caribbean countries. The cooperation was established in April 2023 in the Mutual Arrangement for Cooperation on Reforms, which is valid for a term of four years and can be renewed as necessary. In the Mutual Arrangement the parties agreed to arrange for an independent committee to evaluate the cooperation after three years.
Independent experts
The evaluation committee consists of an independent chairperson elected with the consent of the four Countries and four independent members, selected on the basis of their subject matter expertise.
The members of the evaluation committee are:
- chairperson: Mrs Maria van der Sluijs-Plantz;
- member on behalf of Aruba: Mr Angel Bermudez;
- member on behalf of Curaçao: Mr Francis de Lanoy;
- member on behalf of the Netherlands: Mr Cees Slager;
- member on behalf of St. Maarten: Mr Franklyn Richards.
To support its work in carrying out the evaluation, the committee will make use of an independent research consultancy.
Lessons to be learned from the cooperation
The evaluation is important for administrative decision-making in all four countries regarding a possible continuation, termination or adjustment of the Mutual Arrangement. The intention is also for the parties involved to learn from the evaluation so that they can shape future cooperation, both in the context of the Mutual Arrangement and elsewhere, in a way which is legally and administratively effective and sustainable. The evaluation report must be presented to the prime ministers of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations by March 2026 at the latest.