BBE’s goals are:
- To represent its members social-economic interests.
- To assist and advise its members concerning social-economic issues, and
- To promote the dialogue between entrepreneurs, employers and branch organizations on Bonaire.
We try to reach these goals through:
- Arranging the definition of a common point of view between the membership concerning appropriate issues, and representing this point of view when and where needed or desired.
- Consulting with third parties, and, upon our members’ request, assisting individual members when they consult with third parties.
- Setting up, and maintaining a network with similar organizations, in particular entrepreneurs and/or employers associations in other parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and/or Caribbean region and/or trade partners of Bonaire and with (semi-)governmental offices and unions.
- Promoting the realization, and where needed, contribute to the realization, of measurements and provisions that are needed by the business community.
- Forming and supporting interest groups and workgroups from amongst the membership
- Advising and informing the membership as well as publishing information concerning social-economic issues.
- Representing the members interests in colleges and organs that deal with, or touch upon, the interests of businesses on Bonaire,
- As well as all other that is needed to realize the goals of the association.
For the year 2019 BBE has chosen to focus our lobbying and other activities on the realization of the following:
- entrepreneurial and business climate:
- In the area of our physical infra structure:
- Realization of a port for container transportation.
- Realization of a public yard for commercial vessels, that can be used by local companies.
- Further improvement (in terms of reliability, affordability and general quality) of the accessibility of Bonaire via air:
- internationally, in particular with the USA, and South America (including Brasil and Colombia), and maintenance (if possible extension) of our present connections with Amsterdam.
- regionally with Curacao, Aruba and St. Maarten.
- Professionalization of the organization (and as a result) the quality of services of Bonaire's airport.
- Urgent improvement of the state of our roads.
- Construction of cycle paths.
- Better synchronization of school and day-care hours with business hours on Bonaire.
- Structured approach of the shopping and entertainment center of Kralendijk (Playa), with the goal to realize a lively, attractive and easily accessible center, with a well balanced mix of different types of stores, restaurants, cafe's and bars, the patrons of which are able to run a healthy business. A solution for parking in this area is a prerequisite in order to realize this.
- In the area of utilities:
- realization of reliable, fast and affordable internet and phone services. In order to realize this, the division of infrastructure management and provision of services through that infrastructure by multiple providers should definitely be considered.
- Speedy realization of the Bonaire Trade and Investment Board: a public-private partnership between BBE, Chamber of Commerce and local government with the goal to promote the investment and trade climate of Bonaire.
- Further elaboration of the 'cost of doing business' research.
- In the area of the labor market:
- Urgent better insights in the local labor market, quantity and quality, so we can continue our lobbying actions with respect to:
- Exemption, or at least a significant simplification of employment permits for those professions for which there are no (or insufficient) candidates present on Bonaire.
- Means for the creation and promotion of training and education for those professions and abilities that are in high demand on the Bonaire labor market.
- Review of study loan system, with the goal to stimulate young professionals with a strong connection with Bonaire to return to Bonaire within two years of finishing their studies abroad.
- Section specific measures to promote the willingness of employees with an initially lesser strong connection with Bonaire to stay longer and allow entrepreneurs to work on a longer term focus for their company.
- The establishment of the 'Plenchi di trabou'.
- A labor market platform in which local and national government, together with local schools and BBE jointly discuss and propose policies to promote a better match between supply and demand on our labor market.
- Evaluation of the costs involved for employers of the accompaniment by their employees of patients that are sent away from Bonaire for medical reasons, and creating solutions for this issue.
- Urgent better insights in the local labor market, quantity and quality, so we can continue our lobbying actions with respect to:
- Improvement of decision time and transparency with respect to:
- business licenses in general
- horeca licenses
- application for land
- construction licenses
- Collection of local charges on basis of equality.
- In the area of our physical infra structure:
- improvement of prosperity and well-being
- In the area of physical infrastructure:
- realization and improvement of affordable public transport.
- In the area of social services:
- Affordable day-care
- Affordable after-school programs for children
- Better synchronization of school and office hours
- Establishment of social minimum
- Increase of aov amount
- Increase of 'kinderbijslag'
- Increase of 'onderstand'
- increase of minimum wage (with a compensation for the employers for the increased costs involved with this)
- Establishment of housing benefit ('huursubsidie').
- Further extension of mortgage guarantee ('nationale hypotheekgarantie').
- In the area of physical infrastructure:
- sustainable business models
- In the area of physical infrastructure:
- realization and improvement of affordable public transport.
- realization of sustainable, reliable and affordable water provision for agriculture, as well as our parks and hotels.
- Further intensify and professionalize local food production.
- Apply European and European-Netherlands subsidies for sustainable business activities to companies based on Bonaire.
- Reward sustainable businesses through:
- local subsidies
- prohibition of the use of non-sustainable materials.
- Further develop the example role of Bonaire with respect to nature management for the benefit of our economical development. For example: choose quality tourism versus mass tourism, facilitate university research centers and develop products and services for nature management that Bonaire can export.
- In the area of physical infrastructure:
- further professionalization of our organization:
- after 7 years it is time to take the next step in our organization and re-organize our organisation based on the lessons learned during the first 7 years. The time has come to establish a more permanent office for our organization and alleviate our board members that are all volunteers. With the appointment of a BBE Development Manager we have taken the first step. Keep an eye out on this website, our social media accounts, as well as our newsletter for further developments in this area.