THE NETHERLANDS (THE HAGUE) – Recently, the Overseas Countries and Territories
Association (OCTA) held its annual Ministerial Conference in an online format. Sint Maarten
was represented by Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell and the Director of the
Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary, Carol Voges.
The Ministerial Conference is OCTA’s highest governing body, composed of the heads of
government or designated representatives of each member territory. Its purpose is to
define political direction, approve financial and policy frameworks, and appoint the chair
and members of OCTA’s Executive Committee.
Eleven of the thirteen OCTA members participated in this year’s conference, during which
both the 2024 financial accounts and the organisation’s 2025 budget were formally
approved.
The 2025 budget has been further streamlined in order to increase OCTA’s operational
efficiency for this year.
Looking ahead, the Ministerial Conference mandated the Executive Committee (ExCo) to
begin drafting a joint OCT white paper. This document will serve as a shared contribution
to the negotiations of the European Union’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the
2028-2034 period.
The MFF sets the EU’s long-term budget priorities and spending ceilings over a seven-year
cycle. For the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), it determines the scope and scale
of EU funding and cooperation mechanisms, including regional and thematic programs.
The MFF negotiations with the EU will be conducted by the member states France, the
Netherlands, and Denmark on behalf of the OCTs. Among other matters, the allocation of
financial contributions to each OCT will be defined during this process.
