The Dutch House of Representatives is re­questing detailed information on the effects of raising the mini­mum wage for Bonaire, St. Eu­statius and Saba (BES islands), focusing not only on the impact for residents but also for local businesses. Members of the Parliamentary Committee for Kingdom Rela­tions raised concerns following the publication …

A number of drivers in St. Eustatius and Saba were is­sued traffic fines in routine controls by Caribbean Neth­erlands Police Force KPCN. KPCN checked 12 vehi­cles on Samuel A. Charles Street in The Bottom, Saba, on Monday. Two drivers were fined for not wearing a seat belt, while a man …

Today, the House of Representatives approved the law proposal of State Secretary Szabó (Digitalisation and Kingdom Relations) enabling the implementation of the citizen service number (BSN) and facilities of the digital government on Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. State Secretary Szabó: “Everyone in the Netherlands is entitled to good government …

The finan­cial administration of the Social Affairs and Employ­ment SZW unit within the National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands RCN remains inadequate, despite years of efforts to correct persistent issues. The General Chamber of Auditors (“Algemene Rek­enkamer”) is once again urging immediate and concrete action. The deficiencies jeopar­dize the proper distribution …

A group photo of the training’s participants.   Members of Saba government’s Public Health and Sport Depart­ment attended a training session in St. Maarten last week on the BLOC assess­ment, a motor skills test for children that is implement­ed on the island. This event, held on May 11­12, was organised by …

The Dutch House of Representatives has voted in favour of a motion to exclude the Ca­ribbean territories of the Kingdom from a planned increase in airline tax for long-haul flights. The mo­tion was introduced by far-right Party for Freedom PVV Member of Parliament (MP) Peter van Haasen. The motion received …

The site BES-Reporter wrote that PEP party leader and Island Council member Saskia Matthew has issued an official statement explaining her absence from the Saba Island Council’s Central Committee meetings on May 20 and 21, while sharply criticizing what she describes as procedural violations and a lack of democratic engagement …

A re­cent scientific discovery has raised new concerns for biodiversity and pub­lic health in the Dutch Caribbean. Research­ers Matthijs P. van den Burg (Burg Biologica) and Adolphe 0. Debrot (Wageningen Univer­sity) have identified the soft-bodied tick Orni­thodoros puertoricen­sis on iguanas across St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius, the first time …

The population of the Ca­ribbean Netherlands stood at nearly 32,000 at the begin­ning of this year, an increase of five percent or 1,583 peo­ple compared to the previous year, according to figures from the Dutch Central Bu­reau of Statistics (CBS). Most of the increase was attrib­uted to Bonaire, the largest …

The rollout of the Citizen Service Number BSN in the Caribbean Nether­lands has received broad sup­port from the Dutch House of Representatives, following assurances regarding data se­curity and a multilingual public information campaign. State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Ferenc Zsolt Szabo responded positively to a mo­tion calling for additional sup­port …