The governments of eight Dutch islands have set up a partnership, called E8. Mayors of the five Wadden Islands and governors of Bonaire, Sint-Eustatius and Saba (BES) signed a declaration of intent for this purpose on Friday, after a two-day visit to Vlieland.

“So much is the same on the islands,” says Arno Brok, the King’s Commissioner in Friesland. “The administrators and councils are all searching. What about integrity, because everyone knows everyone. And how do you solve things? That is incredibly interesting to see.”

The four major cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht already work together in the G4, while a group of medium-sized cities forms the G40. “And today the E8 was born,” says Mayor Ineke van Gent of Schiermonnikoog. The eight islands want to collaborate more closely, also in contacts with the government, and exchange knowledge. “We understand each other, because we run into the same things,” says Van Gent. “We always have to be creative and be able to improvise.”

Differences

Topics such as elderly care, quality of life, tourism, housing and accessibility play a role on all islands. “A ferry leaves three times a day for Vlieland. That makes it the most remote Wadden Island, because there are more departures to Texel, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog,” says Brok. “The same thing is happening on Saba and Sint-Eustatius. A small plane lands there three times a day. Before corona, there were six. That has an impact on tourism.”

Despite all the similarities, the Frisian commissioner also sees differences. “The residents of Saba, Sint-Eustatius and Bonaire are fellow Dutch people, but the policy is not the same everywhere. You can wonder whether that is fair.”

ANP.