Bill amending WolBES and FinBES to Council of State

State Sec­retary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations BZK Eric van der Burg may send his proposed amendment to the Acts “Wet openbare lichamen Bonaire, St. Eustatius en Saba (WolBES)” and the “Wet fi­nancien openbare lichamen Bonaire, St. Eustatius en Saba (FinBES)” to the Council of State for advice.

These two laws govern the administration and finances of the so-called BES islands and set out their relationship with the Netherlands. They are be­ing adjusted to improve and strengthen the relationship between the three public enti­ties and the Dutch Kingdom and to provide better services to residents.

The amendments are to help the local governments and the central government do what is right and necessary for the islands and their resi­dents. The WolBES and the FinBES help them carry out their duties properly and pro­vide the necessary democratic oversight. This should lead to better services to the resi­dents, businesses and civil so­ciety organisations. Examples include stronger oversight by the Island Council, setting up a local audit chamber and keeping the National Repre­sentative.

This legislative proposal retains the latter position, though the role is being re­structured. National Rep­resentatives focus on good governance and are respon­sible for inter-administrative oversight. They can also raise issues in The Hague that are receiving insufficient attention from the central government. In doing so, they stand along­side the island’s residents and administrators.

To better align financial su­pervision with the unique characteristics and develop­ment of Bonaire, St. Eusta­tius and Saba, a system of tiered supervision is being introduced. This allows for a tailored approach for each island, ensuring supervision is light where possible and rigor­ous where necessary.

Loan options for the island administrations are also being expanded to better enable Bo­naire, St. Eustatius and Saba to effectively carry out their duties. Like municipalities in the Netherlands, they will be permitted to take out loans from banks.

For instance, such borrow­ing is restricted to the execu­tion of island-level tasks, like improving roads and energy infrastructure. Conditions will be attached to this borrow­ing, and the island’s borrowing activities will be subject to oversight, thereby limiting financial risks.

In addition to this legislative proposal, supporting policies and other initiatives are be­ing deployed to promote good governance and strengthen administrative capacity. For instance, the special assistance (“bijzondere uitkering”) to the islands is being increased to strengthen the capacity of the offices of the Island Governor and Secretary.

The multi-year support programme for the island administrations is also be­ing continued. Through this programme, people holding political office have been of­fered coaching, training and educational courses since the autumn of 2024.

Finally, citizenship education and democratic awareness among the population are be­ing strengthened in collabora­tion with ProDemos and the Netherlands Institute for Mul­tiparty Democracy (NIMD).

The Daily Herald.