THE HAGUE - Wieke Paulusma (D66), the chairman of the Kingdom Relations Committee in the Dutch House of Representatives, has requested clarification from the government regarding the planned Kingdom Conference in 2024. He made this request on behalf of the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (Ipko). 

The main topic to be discussed at the conference is the democratic deficit within the Kingdom, where the Netherlands often has the final say. The Caribbean islands feel they have too little influence on decisions made in the Netherlands that affect the entire Kingdom. 

During the IPKO in June 2023, the parliaments of the four Kingdom countries decided to establish a working group. This group was formed to conduct scientific research on the democratic deficit and to present recommendations at the 2024 conference. 

Fergino Brownbill (MFK), committee chairman of Curaçao, responded to Paulusma's request and emphasized that this issue has been debated for years. He stated that the working group should provide clear recommendations by 2025, and a decision should then be made. “It is time to end the discussion and work towards a fairer distribution of power within the Kingdom,” said Brownbill.