December 22nd, 2020, St. Maarten and the Netherlands signed the mutual arrangement for the implementation of the St Maarten Country Package. The ratification of this arrangement paved the way for the realization of a wide range of reforms and investments. These include, for instance, economic reforms to create a strong, dynamic and resilient economy in St. Maarten. The Country Package includes measures aimed at the improvement of the healthcare system and education.
Country Package
The Netherlands has signed a mutual arrangement with Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten for the implementation of the Country Package. As a result, it is now possible to realize a wide range of reforms and investments. These should contribute to the strength and resilience of economy and society. An economy and society which are better equipped to withstand crises with new opportunities for citizens and companies.
The Country Package includes measures in the following areas:
- Financial management
- Cost and effectiveness of the public sector
- Taxes
- Financial industry
- Economy
- Care
- Education
- Strengthening the rule of law
The government of St. Maarten has signed a mutual agreement with the Netherlands. It is an agreement that binds the government of St. Maarten to the implementation of the measures in the Country Package.
Implementation Agenda
The themes and measures in the Country Packages are periodically elaborated per country in Implementation Agendas. The sets out the steps to be taken to realize the reforms and investments. Priorities have been established and the actions are described as concretely as possible in the . It concerns actions appropriate to the local situation. A clearly phased, step-by-step approach is applied. The Implementation Agenda is not without obligations. St. Maarten and the Netherlands have made a commitment to take the steps which have been agreed. The Implementation Agenda is jointly determined by the Minister of General Affairs of St. Maarten and the State secretary of Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.
The Implementation Agenda is a living document. Each step taken in the coming period, will contribute to the following steps. The Agenda will therefore be updated regularly and will subsequently become increasingly concrete. The Implementation Agenda page maintains the latest version.
Action plans
The Implementation Agendas are further elaborated by the countries in action plans. An action plan must respect the frameworks laid down in the national package and the Implementation Agenda. It contains a concrete elaboration of the various projects, programs and measures in milestones, critical performance indicators, budget and a risk paragraph. Agreements on exactly how the cooperation between the countries on the relevant measures will be structured and what support will be provided from the Netherlands are also recorded in the action plan.
Read the management summaries of the action plans for St. Maarten.
Implementation Report
Sint Maarten together with the Netherlands monitors the progress of the implementation of the Implementation Agendas. The agreements about results in an Implementation Agenda form the basis on which the progress is assessed. If it turns out that agreed milestones cannot be achieved, solutions can be sought – such as extra support from the Netherlands. The monitoring information ends up in the Implementation Report. This will be delivered with the same periodicity as the Implementation Agenda. The latest version can be found on the Implementation Report page.