Trimestral Meeting Between the Chamber of Commerce and the Prime Minister

Discussion on various points of common interest

On Thursday, August 22, Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes held the quarterly meeting with the Chamber of Commerce (KVK). As indicated, this meeting takes place every three months, where they discuss points of interest and concerns from the Chamber of Commerce, the commercial sector, and the Government.

Investments in Projects

A crucial point that was raised is the fact that the Government has created financial space and is structurally allocating funds for investments in Aruba's national budget. Funds are being allocated for investments in various projects, including the improvement of roads. Currently, discussions are ongoing with the Chamber of Commerce and other commercial stakeholders to engage investors and businesses that can contribute to the realization of these projects, with the Chamber of Commerce playing a very important role in this process.

DIP

Another important topic discussed was that of the DIP (Directorate of Infrastructure and Planning), where the Prime Minister informed that the DIP is working hard to eliminate backlogs, and they can now start to see the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ with the various tasks that have been completed and the backlogs that have been cleared. Here, the Prime Minister expressed her gratitude to the DIP staff who are working tirelessly on this matter.

Kingdom Act (Rijkswet) and Growth Funds (Groeifonds)

During the meeting, the relationship with the Netherlands was also discussed, particularly regarding the kingdom act that Aruba needs to secure lower interest rates on the COVID debt. The negotiations on the kingdom act are currently at an ‘administrative level’ and are progressing well. The Government is also awaiting the IMF's advice on financial norms. Another topic discussed concerning the Netherlands was the funds that the Netherlands promised to make available for the islands, such as the "Growth Funds." For this, it is now a matter of waiting to see if the new Dutch Government will proceed with it.

Restructuring of the Governmental Apparatus

During the meeting, the Chamber of Commerce had many questions about the work within the Government itself. For example, the restructuring of the governmental apparatus, the tasks that the Government needs to carry out, previously referred to as the ‘core task analysis.’ Here, the Prime Minister provided an update on the project aimed at restructuring Government departments to improve the overall service provided by the Government.

E-Government

Regarding the E-Government project, which is the digitalization project, the Prime Minister informed that they are currently finalizing the contract with Estonia, so that this project can commence, especially since the European Union funds will start to be received in the coming months.

Labor Shortage

Another major challenge currently faced by the commercial sector is the labor shortage. This issue has also been recently discussed with ATIA and various commercial stakeholders. It is hoped that the management of the Minister of Labor and Integration, Mr. Glenbert Croes, will bear fruit and help alleviate the situation.

“It was a good meeting, where extensive discussions were held on the concerns of the Chamber of Commerce, stakeholders, and the Government itself. In the end, all concerns and the work being done have the same goal, which is to move Aruba forward,” the Prime Minister expressed.