DossierKoninkrijksrelaties.nl reports: The opposition of Bonaire and Saba to the expansion of their island governments by 2027 continues to rankle the House of Representatives committee. After a week of uncertainty, the House of Representatives committee decided earlier this week, at the suggestion of Member of Parliament Mikal Tseggai (GroenLinks-PvdA), to …
Read More »Dutch MPs urge faster action on population growth on BES islands
Members of the Dutch House of Representatives say the current caretaker government can and should do more to address the effects of population growth and ageing in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, warning that action cannot be postponed until a new cabinet takes office. Several parties are calling for stronger …
Read More »Saba Executive Council against expansion of local government
Saba’s Executive Council has opposed the planned expansion of the island’s governing and legislative bodies in a letter to the Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament on Wednesday, arguing that there is now not enough time to “prepare for a structural change of considerable magnitude”. The Executive Council’s letter comes a …
Read More »Expansion of Island- and Executive Councils of BES islands to Take Effect in 2027 and Not Later
The government wants to increase the number of members of the island councils and executive boards of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba as early as the March 2027 elections. State Secretary Eddie van Marum for Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations asked the House of Representatives on January 13 to declare …
Read More »BES islands still lack structural funding for nature management
During a recent visit to the Caribbean Netherlands, State Secretary of BZK Eddie van Marum of the farmers’ party BBB met with the National Park organisations of Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius (BES islands) to discuss the critical role these organisations play in managing and conserving the region’s unique ecosystems. …
Read More »Modernisation BES vehicle registration
The Dutch Government and Executive Councils of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba are discussing options for modernising vehicle registration on the so-called BES islands. Digitisation simplifies inspections and facilitates the purchase and sale of cars. Caretaker State Secretary Eddie van Marum of Digitisation and Kingdom Relations wrote this to the …
Read More »Ombudsman: Caribbean Netherlands still too often treated as second-class
The BES-Reporter published the following article: The relationship between European Netherlands and Caribbean Netherlands is still characterized by inequality in policy and implementation, with citizens on Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius too often getting stuck in rules and procedures. This is what Reinier van Zutphen says in a podcast by …
Read More »Decision to expand Island Council BES to be declared controversial postponed
It is not certain that the bill to expand the executive councils and island councils of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba will actually be declared controversial. At the initiative of Mikal Tseggai (GroenLinks-PvdA), a narrow majority in the House of Representatives Committee for Kingdom Relations decided earlier this week to …
Read More »Island Council expansion declared controversial by Dutch parliament
The discussion on the expansion of the Executive Councils and Island Councils of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba has been delayed. The Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament’s Committee for Kingdom Relations decided on Wednesday to declare the move “controversial” and leave the decision to the next Dutch government, which could take …
Read More »New Minimum Wage, Child Benefit, and Social Security Benefit Amounts in the Caribbean Netherlands as of 1 January 2026
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment will adjust the amounts for minimum wage, child benefit, and social security benefits on Bonaire, St.Eustatius, and Saba as of 1 January 2025, based on 2025 inflation figures. The statutory minimum wage will be indexed across all three islands. For Bonaire, it will …
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