Multi-Annual Cooperation for Improvement of Living Environment on BES Islands

The Dutch Cabinet has adopted a comprehensive response to improve the physical living environment on the Caribbean Netherlands islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. This decision, approved by the Council of Ministers, establishes a multi-annual cooperation program with adequate resources for infrastructure construction, maintenance, and replacement.

This initiative responds to three recommendations issued by:

• The Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli)
• The Council for Public Administration (ROB)
• Consultancy firm Andersson Elffers Felix (AEF)

State Secretary Eddie van Marum emphasized: “The Cabinet is continuing to work resolutely on the promotion of the quality of the physical living environment of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. However, eliminating backlogs requires a long-term approach. The Cabinet can assist the Public Entities with money and knowledge, but the islands must also take action themselves.”

Current Progress

The Cabinet has already allocated resources for:

• Road improvements on Bonaire
• Harbor construction on Saba
• Implementation support services

Four Strategic Lines of Action

1. Multi-Annual Cooperation Programme

Development of “physical agendas” in collaboration with the Public Entities, addressing:

• Housing construction
• Road improvements and accessibility
• Project relationships and phased implementation strategies

2. Strengthening Implementation Capacity

• Expansion of the Caribbean Netherlands Project Office
• Addition of experienced staff specializing in physical environment projects

3. Enhanced “Comply or Explain” Safeguarding

• Review of existing legislation for all three islands
• Assessment of implementation needs and potential revisions

4. Sustainable Funding

• Address identified funding gaps for investments, maintenance, and infrastructure replacement
• Investigation by the new Cabinet to establish structural funding mechanisms

Key Findings from Reports

Both the AEF report and ROB opinion highlight:

• Insufficient current funding for infrastructure investments
• Inadequate resources for maintenance and timely replacement
• Critical need for structural, long-term funding solutions

The incoming Cabinet will be mandated to:

• Continue and build upon current initiatives
• Implement new measures as needed
• Establish sustainable funding mechanisms
• Deliver comprehensive physical agendas for each island

RCN