Aruba Land Package has funding for 2027, but extension after April is not yet confirmed

ORANJESTAD — One day before Prinsjesdag in the Netherlands, leaked documents are providing substantial information about the Dutch 2027 budget. However, Noticiacla’s research has not yet found public confirmation that the Netherlands has definitively decided to extend the Land Package for Aruba beyond April 4, 2027.

What is clear is that the existing multi-year Dutch budget already includes a considerable amount of funding for work related to the Land Packages and the Tijdelijke Werkorganisatie (TWO) in 2027.

For 2027, the Netherlands has reserved €49 million in subsidies related to TWO and another €7.5 million for assignments and projects carried out by TWO. That amounts to approximately €56.5 million for Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten combined. In addition, there are other expenditures related to previous obligations.

This is an important signal, but it is not yet proof that the Land Package will continue beyond April.

APRIL 4, 2027 IS THE KEY DATE

The Onderlinge Regeling Samenwerking bij Hervormingen, which forms the legal basis of the Land Packages, entered into force on April 4, 2023 for a period of four years. Under normal circumstances, the agreement therefore expires on April 4, 2027.

The arrangement does allow Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten to extend their cooperation with the Netherlands for additional periods of up to two years.

The Dutch government has previously indicated that a decision would have to be made during 2026, based in part on the evaluation of the Land Packages, on whether the cooperation should continue.

Official Dutch documents also confirm that Aruba remains in the middle of implementing various reforms and that the Government of Aruba sees the Land Package as an opportunity to implement several elements of its own governing program.

FUNDING FOR 2027 IS NOT THE SAME AS AN EXTENSION

The existence of more than €56 million for TWO in 2027 is important, but there is one crucial detail.

The Land Package already continues automatically until April 4, 2027. In addition, some projects and financial obligations may continue after that date even if there is no full extension of the agreement.

For that reason, Noticiacla cannot yet conclude that the Land Packages will definitely continue for Aruba beyond April 2027 solely on the basis of the funding already reserved.

What is still needed is a political and formal decision by the Netherlands and Aruba to extend the cooperation.

PRINSJESDAG MAY PROVIDE THE ANSWER

The most important information will probably not appear literally in King Willem-Alexander’s Speech from the Throne.

The answer will mainly have to be found in the 2027 Budget for Kingdom Relations and its explanatory memorandum.

A very strong signal would be if the new budget shows funding for TWO and the Land Packages not only for 2027, but also for 2028 and 2029.

In the budget that is currently public, TWO has €49 million in subsidies for 2027, but that line drops to zero for 2028, 2029 and 2030.

Therefore, if Prinsjesdag on Tuesday, September 15 introduces new funding for TWO beyond 2027, that would be a strong indication that the Netherlands wants to continue with the Land Packages.

For now, however, one day before Prinsjesdag, the most accurate conclusion is this: the Netherlands has funding reserved to continue Land Package-related work in 2027, but there is still no public confirmation that the cooperation with Aruba will be extended beyond April 4, 2027.

On Tuesday, the new Kingdom Relations budget should provide a much clearer answer.