WILLEMSTAD – Access to Curaçao’s beaches may become the subject of intensified political debate as legal experts and lawmakers question whether the government has enough authority to guarantee public access when roads to beaches cross private property.
A new parliamentary analysis examining Curaçao’s expropriation framework specifically highlights growing concerns about situations where landowners charge fees or impose restrictions for access to public beaches.
The report questions whether the island’s current legal instruments sufficiently protect the public character of coastal areas while balancing constitutional protections for private property owners.
According to the analysis, the government currently possesses several legal tools that could potentially be used to guarantee public access, including expropriation powers, public rights-of-way and other public law mechanisms.
However, the document argues that Curaçao’s legal framework remains heavily based on historical legislation dating back to the colonial and Netherlands Antilles period, raising concerns about whether it remains effective for modern realities.
The issue has become increasingly sensitive amid wider public discussions about commercialization, privatization and accessibility of beaches on the island.
The report recommends that Parliament organize discussions with the government to evaluate whether existing legislation should be modernized to better regulate land acquisition, expropriation and guaranteed public access to strategic coastal areas.