To insulate our economy from those effects, it is important that we put in place a program to look for alternative energy sources. Given the topic of this conference, I think it is propitious to underscore this subject.
Ladies and gentlemen, during the last two decades, public finances in the Netherlands Antilles have been characterized by structural deficits and the consequent build up of public debt. Various attempts to implement structural adjustments programs to achieve fiscal consolidation derailed and led to a debt-to-GDP ratio of over 80%.