WILLEMSTAD — In the near future, the government wants to introduce permits’ counters, where citizens and companies could arrange permits for a large number of matters. This is mentioned in the Explanatory Memorandum (MvT) with the draft budget 2011 of the country Curaçao, which the States is to discuss in a public meeting this week.

The permits’ counters resort under the Ministry of Administration, Planning and Service Provision (BPD). This Ministry falls under the portfolio of PS-minister Norman Girigorie. In the MvT, the permits’ counters are considered the largest policy challenge of the sector Public Service Provision. The government wants to introduce these counters in phases. According to the government, this introduction will require close cooperation between the relevant stakeholders, consisting of the permit counter (front office) on the one hand and the department ministries responsible for the handling and processing of permits (back office) on the other hand.

The MvT mentions that the government wants to take action with regard to the red tape and bureaucracy on the island. The permit counter plays an important role in this. “For years, Curaçao has been coping with an enormous bureaucracy when it comes to issuing permits. A fundamental intervention in this field is necessary to drastically improve the service provision to the public. This can be achieved by accepting, administrative processing and settling of permit applications in a procedural and customer directed manner to provide for customers’ needs regarding public services in conformity with prevailing standards.” In practice, the business community, the social organizations and the general public will be making use of the permit counter. An amount of 1.2 million guilders is reserved on the budget for ‘handling of permits’ – which includes the permit counter.