St. Eustatius In Charge of Its Own Budget Again
The St. Eustatius Government has regained full authority to draft and implement its own budget. This came into effect on the 20th of June 2023, with the signing of the Royal Decree for Article 15 of the St. Eustatius Restoration Act by His Majesty the King. The State Secretary for Interior and Kingdom Relations has informed the Public Entity of this development and has also notified the Senate and House of Representatives.
The return of budgetary rights marks another step in the restoration of democracy on the island, following the administrative intervention of 2018. The Executive Council and the Island Council are once again responsible for tasks such as drafting the annual accounts and the budget. The State Secretary stated in her letter that she was delighted that an important step had been taken towards phasing out the administrative intervention. However, she points out that even after this step, it is important that the Public Entity continues to work on good financial management. It is also important to work according to the agreed work processes. The Island Government has committed itself to this through the Memorandum of Understanding.
The final step in the process will be the appointment of a Governor for St. Eustatius. It is vital that all improvement steps are implemented, and all measures are in place before this can occur. The recruitment process for this position is currently under way.