Parliament asks action on BES energy prices

Members of the Dutch House of Repre­sentatives (“Tweede Kamer”) expressed concern over high energy prices in the Caribbean Netherlands and are calling for measures. State Secretary Eric van der Burg for Kingdom Re­lations is asking for a little more patience, including regarding education and UNICEF

The VVD cabinet member is willing to talk with the govern­ments of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba (BES islands) about emergency preparedness and to create a plan for ferry connec­tions.

These topics were mentioned during a brief follow-up debate on the Caribbean Netherlands. “I know that the state secretary was on Saba this weekend for Mr. Johnson’s farewell. I also know that electricity prices there are constantly rising and that in July the price will even reach 05046 euros per kilowatt-hour. What role do you envision in this to see what we can do?” asked D66 MP Heera Dijk. MPs Mikal Tseggai of PRO and Don Ceder of CU concurred. Van der Burg replied that there will be clarity after the summer regarding the allocation of 30 million euros reserved for ven­suring livelihoods on the three is­lands. After the summer, govern­ment will also make a decision regarding the possible extension of Child Friendly Cities, a project of the UN children’s rights organ­isation UNICEF, he told Dijk. Theggai of PRO, the new name for GroenLinks-PvdA, will also have to be patient a little longer. She wanted to know what the government is doing with the recommendations of the Edu­cation Council and the National Coordinator against Discrimi­nation and Racism regarding education in the Caribbean Netherlands.

Together with CU MP Ceder, Tseggai submitted a motion with that request. Van der Burg promised that government would respond before the sum­mer, so the motion was post­poned.

Three motions received a positive assessment. Theggai and Ceder asked the state secretary to consult with local authorities regarding emergency stockpiles in the event of a potential crisis. The same MPs also called at­tention to the improvement of the breakwater in the port of St. Eustatius.

The Daily Herald.