THE HAGUE - The House of Representatives agrees with the accord between the Netherlands and the Dominican Republic on maritime borders. The agreement itself was already agreed upon in a treaty in 2021. The Senate will consider the proposal as just a formality on 1 November.
It concerns a demarcation of sea areas of the Kingdom in the Caribbean, which defines the sea border with the Dominican Republic.
This demarcation has been established in consultation with the other countries within the Kingdom, in particular with Aruba and Curaçao, because the demarcation that has been established relates to the sea areas of both countries. The approval applies to the entire Kingdom.
The treaty defines the sea areas to which both States are entitled under the law of the sea.
In practice, this means that the treaty defines the exclusive economic zone of the countries Aruba and Curaçao and thus contains a delineation of powers that may be exercised by the coastal state in that sea area on the basis of the law of the sea. This can be important for fisheries management and protection of the marine environment or scientific marine research.