The Hague orders former colony Curaçao to clean up its finances

The former Dutch colony of Curaçao has been given until September by the government in The Hague to draw up a plan to get its finances in order.

Ministers discussed the difficult financial situation on the Caribbean island at Friday afternoon's cabinet meeting. It is the last time ministers will meet until after the summer break.

The decision to place a formal compliance order on Curaçao was 'not taken lightly', prime minister Mark Rutte told reporters after the meeting. The government's financial supervisory committee had recommended taking the step.

Curaçao's 2012 budget has a shortfall of 153m Antillean guilders, of which nearly 100 million guilders is needed to cover debts from previous years, home affairs minister Liesbeth Spies said. 


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