THE HAGUE--The Dutch Parliamentary delegation that would visit Curaçao and St. Maarten during the week of February 22 has postponed its trip because of flight issues.
Late reservations of tickets prevented the delegation from travelling jointly. Due to lack of space on the regular flights from Amsterdam to Curaçao, members of the delegation would have to travel on separate flights on the trip to Curaçao and back.
This was reason for delegation leader and Chairman of the Second Chamber's Permanent Committee of Antillean and Aruban Affairs NAAZ, Willibrord van Beek, to postpone the trip. "We couldn't get it organised," he said on Friday. Earlier this week, NAAZ decided to travel to Curaçao and St. Maarten to meet with the Island Councils of all five islands.
This Tuesday, NAAZ will meet to decide on a new travel date. "We want to meet with the Island Councils before we handle the Kingdom consensus law proposals in the Second Chamber," said Van Beek.
Initially, NAAZ had opted to meet the week of February 22 because the First and Second Chamber would be in recess. Van Beek did not want to mention a new date for travel, but possibly the trip will be planned for the week of March 8. However, March 8 would be unsuitable for the delegation members of the First and Second Chamber because Parliament would not be in session that week. "That is a new hurdle that we will have to take," said Van Beek.
The delegation leader said that postponing the trip would not necessarily have negative consequences for the speed at which the legislation for new constitutional relations in the Kingdom has to be handled.
On March 4, the Second Chamber will vote on the first package of draft laws for the BES islands - Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba - during a plenary session. It concerns the Public Entities Law for the BES islands - WolBES, the law on finances of the public entities BES - FinBES, the amendment to the Electoral Law in connection with the new constitutional status of the BES islands as public entities - Kieswet, the Implementation Law BES - Aanpassingswet BES, and the law to protect personal data. The package also includes the approval and termination of treaties for the BES islands.
The second package of law proposals for the BES islands, as well as legislation concerning the dismantling of the Country the Netherlands Antilles and the establishing of Countries Curaçao and St. Maarten, will tentatively be handled in a plenary session on March 23.
This package includes the Kingdom consensus law to set up the Prosecutor's Offices of Countries Curaçao and St. Maarten and of the BES islands, the law on the Council of Maintenance of Law and Order - Raad voor de Rechtshandhaving and the Kingdom consensus law to establish the Police Forces of Countries Curaçao and St. Maarten and of the BES islands.
