During the parliamentary session on the HOFA Kingdom Act, it became clear that the first round of debate largely focused on the administrative agreement signed by the Wever-Croes Cabinet in 2024. It appears that many either do not understand what this “administrative agreement” entails, or pretend not to understand in an attempt to create confusion.
Parliamentarian Evelyn Wever-Croes therefore once again explained clearly to all present what the administrative agreement actually means:
“Let me be very clear: the administrative agreement I signed in 2024 is merely an intention by both governments to negotiate. It is not a binding document. It does not tie any government to obligations. Legal experts have confirmed this, and ministers Wever and Eman also stated this. The agreement was a strategic step to keep Aruba at the negotiation table with the Netherlands, with the aim of achieving a better deal for Aruba.”
The Wever-Croes II Cabinet, together with a team of professionals, worked intensively on preparations at the administrative (civil service) level. However, when the time came for the final negotiations at the political level, the ministers of the AVP/Futuro government — who should have defended Aruba — failed to do so, according to Wever-Croes. She states that they did not secure a good agreement.
“I emphasized this in the first round. We asked the ministers how many times they met, how the negotiations were carried out, and which points they defended on behalf of Aruba at the political level. Yet there was no response to these questions. This is why the MEP faction concludes that the AVP/Futuro government gave in to the Netherlands without properly negotiating.” said parliamentarian Wever-Croes.
Press release: MEP