THE HAGUE - Lousewies van der Laan and Bart Vollebergh met with State Secretary Zsolt Szabó (Digitalization and Kingdom Relations) to discuss corruption in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. Szabó invited Transparency International Netherlands (TI-NL) to address parliamentary questions raised by PVV member Peter van Haasen, who had inquired about the role of the Netherlands in monitoring corruption on the islands and Transparency International's (TI) criteria.
During the meeting, Szabó and TI-NL discussed the methodology behind TI's various indexes, particularly the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which does not currently include Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. The CPI, maintained by TI’s international headquarters in Berlin, requires at least three of thirteen consulted sources—such as the World Bank, Freedom House, and the Economist Intelligence Unit—to report data on a country. Since this data is not yet available for the Caribbean islands, the CPI has not been applied there.
TI-NL outlined potential alternatives for assessing corruption on the islands in the near term, including the Caribbean Public Accountability Mechanisms (CariPAM). CariPAM evaluates the comprehensiveness of legal frameworks in Caribbean countries and has been used in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago. CariPAM studies focus on four themes: access to information, financial transparency, conflict of interest, and political financing.
Another measure is TI’s Global Corruption Barometer, which surveys public perceptions of corruption. However, due to budget constraints, the Caribbean regions of the Kingdom are not yet part of this study.
On the CAS islands (Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten), National Integrity Studies (NIS) have been conducted. These studies assess national anti-corruption systems and provide actionable recommendations. For example, the latest NIS report for Aruba in 2022 presents updated insights, while Curaçao’s report from 2013 still holds relevance, as many recommendations remain unaddressed. These NIS reports offer specific action points for governments to pursue.
Beyond anti-corruption frameworks, TI-NL emphasized the importance of strong civil society involvement, recognizing the role of experts, activists, researchers, journalists, and organizations working towards greater integrity on the islands.
TI-NL committed to maintaining pressure on the government to implement its ambitious anti-corruption goals, as set out in the coalition agreement. The coming period will show how effectively these plans will be put into practice.