This is the core of the cabinets response to the three recommendations from the Council for the Living Environment and Infrastructure (Rli), the Council for Public Administration (ROB), and consultancy firm Andersson Elffers Felix (AEF), which was adopted in the Council of Ministers.
State Secretary Van Marum of the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations: “The cabinet is decisively continuing efforts to improve the quality of the physical living environment of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. We have allocated extra funds to improve roads on Bonaire, construct a harbor on Saba, and provide support to assist with implementation. However, eliminating backlogs requires patience. It is up to the newly formed cabinet to build on the progress made last year and take new measures. The cabinet can help the public bodies with money and knowledge, but the islands must also take action themselves.”
The cabinets response outlines which steps it can already take to follow up on the recommendations and what the new cabinet should address. Four lines of action are mentioned: a multi-year cooperation program, strengthening implementation capacity, better securing the ‘comply or explain’ principle, and sustainable funding.
There is a need to develop a multi-year cooperation program in collaboration with the public bodies. These so-called ‘physical agendas’, to be delivered at a later stage, will specify what needs to be done for housing construction, better roads, and accessibility. They will also detail the coherence between projects and how these projects can be implemented step by step. It is important that sustainable funding is also made available to carry out the tasks. The AEF report and the ROB advice show that financing for investments, maintenance, and timely replacement in physical infrastructure is still insufficient. Both reports emphasize the need for structural funding. It is up to a new cabinet to investigate how this should be arranged.
It is also important that there are enough people to do the work. Therefore, the Caribbean Netherlands Projects Office is being expanded with staff experienced in projects related to the physical living environment. To better implement the ‘comply or explain’ principle, an examination is underway of which existing legislation for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba needs to be further introduced or revised.
