Transferal of state tasks to start in April 2009

November 27, 2008 10:21 AM

The central government, Curaçao and St.Maarten, have signed a list of decisions about the phased dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles and the construction of the new entities. The transferal of state tasks must be implemented by the State Ordinance and can thus only start in April 2009. Curaçao will take over the tasks in three phases: July/August, September and 31 December 2009.

For the transferal of state civil servants to the new governing organization, the new organizational structure of the new countries should be determined no later than the end of January. Also a covenant with regard to the Social Statue between Land and the island territories should be determined at that time. At the end of January, all ongoing individual legal obligations must also be determined. The civil servants will in general transfer to the concerning state-task at the same time.

On Monday, the main lines were already agreed upon. Yesterday, the signing was planned at one p.m., but because the Deputy from St.Maarten, Sarah Wescot-Williams, was late, it was postponed to eight thirty in the evening.
In the first phase in July/August Curaçao will take over: Directorate for Labour Affairs, Directorate for Economic Affairs, Bureau Telecommunications and Post, Bureau Process Management Educational innovations and Department for Development cooperation. A separate project is running for the foundation ‘Stichting Belastingsaccountantsbureau’ (tax accountant’s bureau), Tax Inspection and the Federal receiver.
In September the following services will be transferred to the island territory: Central Bureau for Statistics, Directorate for Social Development, Directorate for Public Health, Directorate for Youth and Youth development, Directorate for Education, Sport and Culture, Inspection for Education Dutch Antilles and Directorate Judicial Affairs.
The state tasks which will be transferred at the end of December 2009 are: Unusual Transactions Disclosures Office, Directorate Foreign Relations, Office of the Plenipotentiary Minister, Secretariat of the Social-Economic Council, Secretariat of the Advisory Council, Registry of the States of the Netherlands Antilles, Public Prosecution’s Office, Registry of the Joint Court of Justice, Security Service of the Netherlands Antilles, Expertise Centre for Tests and Exams (Examination Bureau), National Archive, Directorate for Finance, Customs Office of the Netherlands Antilles, Directorate for Shipping and Maritime Affairs, Directorate for Aviation, Meteorological Service, Directorate for Legislation and Judicial Affairs, National Police Force Training Institute, Directorate for Governing and Constitutional Affairs, Directorate for Personnel and Organization & ICT, Secretariat Council of Ministers, Federal Criminal Investigation Department, Re-integration Institute, Guardianship boards, Prison system, State Reformatory, Central Police Department (the tasks of the Central Police Department will transfer to the police corps) and the Police Corps.
An evaluation about the progress of the process must take place no later than the July 1 next year, in order to determine whether the agreements have been met and whether the made agreements are realistic.

Tasks which will not be transferred are: higher authority as stated in the Erna articles 98 to 104; the delegation of powers by the Statute to the land Netherlands Antilles. It concerns powers in the creation of government procedures and covenants, procedural law, criminal law, civil rights including bankruptcy law and Registry of the Joint Court of Justice. This is in connection to the agreements made in the final declaration of 2 November 2006, which also states that each Minister remains responsible for these points up until the moment of the dissolvement of the Land Netherlands Antilles.

(Source: National newspaper Amigoe)

26 November, 2008