THE NETHERLANDS (THE HAGUE):--- Recently, the Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA) held its annual Ministerial Conference in an online format. Minister Plenipotentiary Drs represented Sint Maarten. 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.
