THE HAGUE – The Dutch government has acknowledged that there is still no comprehensive long-term Kingdom-wide vision for relations with Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and the BES islands, according to a newly published policy evaluation.
The conclusion appears in an evaluation commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), which examined Kingdom policy between 2016 and 2023.
Researchers described the absence of a unified Kingdom vision as a “fundamental problem” that weakens coordination between Dutch ministries and complicates decision-making on major Caribbean issues.
According to the report, this lack of direction makes it difficult to establish priorities, coordinate long-term investments and connect different Dutch ministries to integrated Caribbean policy objectives.
The evaluators therefore recommended that the Netherlands formulate its own explicit Kingdom Relations strategy and redefine the role of BZK in more facilitating terms.
Other recommendations include improving communication between Dutch ministries, reorganizing interdepartmental consultation structures and considering stronger consultation obligations regarding Caribbean affairs.
The report also suggests stationing more Dutch policy staff directly in the Caribbean region to improve coordination and policy implementation on the ground.
The findings are likely to fuel ongoing political discussions within the Dutch Caribbean about equality within the Kingdom, decision-making structures and the long-term direction of Kingdom relations.