The Dutch government will provide further details on its ap­proach to tackling poverty in the Caribbean Netherlands in early February. Howev­er, concrete decisions will not be made until March or April, when the spring budget amendment (Voor­jaarsnota) is presented. This was revealed on Wednesday during responses from State Secretaries Zsolt Szabó (Kingdom Relations) and Jurgen Nobel (Participation and Integration) during a parliamentary session.

The House of Representa­tives (Tweede Kamer) dis­cussed strategies to address poverty on Bonaire, St. Eu­statius, and Saba. Concerns were raised about the expi­ration of temporary subsi­dies on January 1, which is expected to increase costs for many residents by tens of dollars. Members of Par­liament (MPs) emphasised the need for clear and im­mediate support measures.

Raoul White, an MP from the socialist coalition GroenLinks-PvdA, called for interim measures to ad­dress the period between January 1 and the an­nouncement of new support programmes. “How do we bridge this gap?” he asked. People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) MP Aukje de Vries suggested earlier action. “Why must we wait until the spring budget? If the outlines can already be shared in Febru­ary, it seems possible to act more quickly,” she said.

The state secretaries ex­plained that discussions are ongoing regarding the allo­cation of 9.5 million euros earmarked for purchasing power measures, which could potentially include extending temporary sub­sidies. However, concrete decisions will not be made until the spring budget is finalised. “You will need to be patient,” Szabó said, though he assured that any concrete plans developed earlier would be announced promptly.

Both Szabó and Nobel stressed the importance of structural measures aimed at reducing the cost of liv­ing on the islands. Nobel expressed his shock at the high prices during a recent visit to the islands. “We have achieved a lot in recent years, particularly in social welfare. Child benefits have been increased, and the minimum wage has been raised. Yet, costs continue to rise even faster,” he said. Nobel also highlighted con­cerns from business owners about the rising minimum wages. “Most entrepreneurs support the increase, but they feel the pace is too fast. Local authorities also warn against placing further bur­dens on businesses, as this could lead to closures. We need to find ways to con­tinue supporting them,” he said.

MP White requested a timeline for business sup­port measures, but Nobel indicated this is not yet fea­sible due to a lack of reliable data on the policy’s impact on companies. Szabó men­tioned that efforts are un­derway to develop methods for monitoring these effects. Nobel also noted that the impacts of higher minimum wages and benefits are be­ing closely monitored, re­sponding to questions from right-wing New Social Con­tract MP Faith Bruyning.

The Daily Herald.