In its newly published advisory report ti­tled “Together Towards Bet­ter: Recommendations for National Policy on the Physi­cal Domain in the Caribbean Netherlands”, the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure RLI empha­sizes that Bonaire, St. Eusta­tius and Saba (BES islands) are often overlooked by the Dutch government when it comes to infrastructure and spatial development. The Council calls for a funda­mental shift in approach.

The RLI is an independent advisory body to the Dutch government and Parliament, offering solicited and unso­licited advice on strategic issues in the areas of spatial planning, infrastructure, en­vironment, housing, agricul­ture, and public safety.

The Council’s report was formally presented on Fri­day on behalf of Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Judith Uitermark to Roald Lapperre, Director General of Kingdom Rela­tions.

The islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba face significant challenges in the physical living environment, including a chronic short­age of quality housing and poorly maintained road in­frastructure. Despite being fully incorporated into the Netherlands since October 10,2010, the islands continue to experience unacceptable disparities compared to Eu­ropean Netherlands, the RLI concluded.

The Council found that the islands are frequently excluded from national poli­cies concerning the physical living environment. Accord­ing to the RLI, this oversight is compounded by a lack of structural funding for basic government tasks on the is­lands, creating a situation of persistent inequality when compared to the European part of the country.

Additionally, both local and national governments lack the capacity to effectively tackle the complex issues in the region. Although policy initiatives in European Neth­erlands have intensified in recent years, the same level of attention and investment has not been extended to the Caribbean territories—de­spite repeated commitments from the Dutch government to treat all parts of the King­dom equally.

Three recommendations

To address the persistent disparities between the Ca­ribbean Netherlands and the European part of the coun­try, the RLI proposes three concrete steps to ensure a more equitable quality of life for all Dutch citizens.

First, the Council calls for the joint establishment of shared ambitions between the Dutch government and the island authorities, devel­oped in consultation with lo­cal residents and businesses. While responsibilities are broadly defined, the specific quality standards that poli­cies should achieve remain unclear and must be explic­itly set.

Second, the RLI empha­sizes the need to strengthen capacity and cooperation through adequate, long­term national funding and a more flexible partnership ap­proach. Effective implemen­tation, the Council notes, requires not only resources but also trust and political commitment. It recommends a multi-year collaboration programme aligned with the National Programme for Vi­tal Regions, which should be expanded to include the Ca­ribbean Netherlands.

Lastly, the Council urges that the Caribbean Neth­erlands be integrated into the national policy process from the very beginning. Despite a 2019 commitment to do so, this inclusion is of­ten neglected in practice. To change this, the RLI advises publishing an annual over­view of planned policies in the physical domain, clearly stating how the Caribbean territories will be involved, and ensuring they can access funding and support pro­grammes currently restricted to European Netherlands. The RLI’s message is clear: equal citizenship must come with equal standards. If the Netherlands is to live up to its constitutional commit­ment to all its citizens—re­gardless of geography—then the Caribbean Netherlands must be treated as a full part­ner in national policy.

The Daily Herald.