WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao used last week’s Judicial Four-Country Consultation (JVO) to call for a more practical, affordable and sustainable approach to justice cooperation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with particular attention to shared ICT facilities and the financing of joint judicial initiatives.
During the JVO, Curaçao deliberately proposed a strategic session with the justice ministers of Aruba, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands to discuss fundamental questions about the future of cooperation among the four countries.
Two issues were central to the discussions: the future of jointly used ICT facilities within the justice system and the development of a sustainable financing model for judicial cooperation within the Kingdom.
According to Curaçao’s Minister of Justice, Shalten Hato, cooperation does not always require additional formal consultation. In some cases, he said, the countries need space for a more fundamental discussion about how cooperation should be structured in the future.
Curaçao’s position is that cooperation must remain practical, affordable and provide concrete benefits to the country’s judicial chain.
The government also believes the countries must critically examine which functions and services should continue to be organized jointly, where responsibilities should be placed and how each country can retain sufficient control over its own processes.
The discussion is particularly important because shared arrangements can offer advantages in areas where the Kingdom countries face similar challenges, but Curaçao wants to ensure that cooperation does not unnecessarily limit its ability to manage its own justice system.
No immediate decisions were expected from the strategic session. According to Hato, not every strategic discussion needs to result directly in a formal decision.
Instead, the meeting was intended to establish a clearer common direction among Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands before decisions are taken on future arrangements.
“Sometimes it is important to first determine together where we want to go,” Hato said.
The minister stressed that sustainable cooperation ultimately depends on the four countries developing a shared vision while maintaining clarity over responsibilities, financing and national control.