KRALENDIJK – State Secretary Eric van der Burg will make a working visit to Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao from 13 to 17 July. The visit will focus on cooperation within the Kingdom, economic development, nature conservation, waste processing and digital infrastructure.
On Bonaire, Van der Burg will meet with the Executive Council to discuss recent administrative developments. Talks are also scheduled on waste processor Selibon Lagún, the introduction of public transport and the Regional Deal. Through that arrangement, the Dutch government is investing 13 million euros in broad prosperity on Bonaire.
The State Secretary will also visit the mangroves at Sorobon, accompanied by nature organisation STINAPA. Topics there include nature conservation, climate and the environment. He will also receive an explanation at WEB Bonaire on the production of drinking water and electricity.
Aruba
On Aruba, Van der Burg will meet with Governor Alfonso Boekhoudt, Prime Minister Mike Eman and Minister Gerlien Croes of Kingdom Relations, Education, Youth, Innovation and Sport. At the University of Aruba, he will receive a presentation on the Kingdom Start Up Program, in which students from Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten collaborate on entrepreneurial skills.
Due to the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, Van der Burg will also visit the Crisis Management Office on Aruba. Relief efforts to Venezuela were coordinated from that office. The State Secretary will speak there with members of the Red Cross Aruba who have been to Venezuela.
He will also visit waste processor Ecotech and the company Vaper Trading. That company was the first on Aruba to make use of the SME Credit Guarantee Scheme for Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, a scheme designed to help entrepreneurs obtain financing more easily.
Curaçao
On Curaçao, Van der Burg will be introduced to Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas and will visit Governor Mauritsz de Kort. He will also go to the Joint Court of Justice, the highest court for the Caribbean countries and islands within the Kingdom.
In the port of Curaçao, the State Secretary will receive a tour in the presence of Minister of Economic Development Roderick Middelhof. The focus there is on the sustainable redevelopment of the port. Van der Burg will also visit Blue Nap Americas, the data centre that manages data for a large part of Curaçao’s government institutions.
