THE HAGUE – Strengthening the rule of law remains the largest policy expenditure in the Netherlands’ proposed 2027 Kingdom Relations budget, with €70.6 million allocated to the program.
The funding covers Dutch support for rule-of-law institutions and cooperation involving Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands.
The overall Kingdom Relations budget for 2027 amounts to approximately €202.1 million. Of that amount, €70.6 million is allocated to strengthening the rule of law, making it the largest individual policy category shown in the budget overview.
Dutch support focuses on security, law enforcement, border control and human rights.
The Netherlands stresses that law enforcement and security remain responsibilities of the individual countries. Dutch involvement is based on cooperation agreements, protocols and Kingdom legislation.
Operational assistance also involves the Dutch Ministries of Justice and Security, Finance and Defense.
For Curaçao, that cooperation includes the RST, Royal Netherlands Marechaussee support and strengthened border control.
The RST investigates serious organized and cross-border crime, including corruption and money laundering.
Meanwhile, 71 full-time Royal Netherlands Marechaussee positions support local border services under the strengthened border-control protocol.