THE HAGUE – The Dutch government is strengthening its "comply or explain" principle, requiring ministries to make new national policies and legislation applicable to Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba by default unless there are compelling reasons to do otherwise. The policy is intended to promote greater equality between the Caribbean public entities and the European Netherlands while recognizing local circumstances.
In a letter to the Dutch House of Representatives dated July 6, State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Eric van der Burg outlined how the cabinet plans to implement and evaluate the policy, which was tightened under the coalition agreement "Aan de slag." The government says ministries must actively assess whether new legislation, regulations and policy measures should apply to the Caribbean Netherlands and explicitly justify any decision to exclude the islands.
According to the letter, the objective is not to impose identical rules in every situation but to achieve equivalent outcomes for residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The cabinet states that the islands' unique circumstances should no longer automatically result in lower standards of public services or protections. Instead, any deviations must be transparent, carefully justified and, where necessary, phased in to reflect local implementation capacity.
The government points to several policy areas where this approach is already being incorporated. These include healthcare, education, culture, housing, climate adaptation, economic development, food security and public safety. The letter also highlights continued attention to security challenges in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, including developments in and around Venezuela, hybrid threats, cybersecurity, organized crime and strengthening police capacity.
The cabinet announced that it will evaluate the application of the "comply or explain" principle together with the governments of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The review will draw on previous reports, legal analyses, discussions with island authorities and an upcoming study by the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights. The findings are expected to be presented to Parliament later this year.
To improve participation in the legislative process, the Dutch government also plans to make public consultations more accessible by offering them in Dutch, English and Papiamentu where appropriate. Officials hope this will enable residents, businesses and local governments on the islands to contribute more effectively to the development of new laws and policies.
The letter further concludes that implementation assessments carried out on proposed legislation affecting the Caribbean Netherlands have proven valuable. However, it notes that these reviews should be simplified and better tailored to the realities of the islands, while ensuring that local authorities are consulted at the appropriate stage of the legislative process.
Although the policy applies specifically to the special municipalities of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, and not to the autonomous countries of Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten, it reflects the Dutch government's continued focus on reducing disparities within the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.