THE HAGUE – In his yearly address to the Nation, King Willem Alexander has emphasized the importance of unity and solidarity between the countries in the Kingdom, to mitigate the consequences of the Corona Pandemic. “That makes our Kingdom as a whole stronger,” said the King.

In the other parts of the speech, which gives an overview of the Kingdom Government’s plans for the coming Parliamentary year, the section on the Caribbean islands was also devoted to Corona and the economy.

“In the Caribbean part of our Kingdom, life has become more difficult for many people due to corona. The island economies have been hit hard by the enormous decline in tourism. For Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba – together the Caribbean Netherlands – economic support measures apply, similar to the ones in our country. Agreements have been made with the countries of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten to ensure that financial support leads to an economy that is more resilient and more shock-resistant. In the discussion about this, it is important to always seek consensus to emerge stronger”.