Van der Burg aims to increase the number of island council members and commissioners

The Netherlands’ State Secretary Eric van der Burg is advancing legislation (the Verhogingswet) to increase the number of island council members and commissioners on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, with the goal of having it in effect before the March 2027 island council elections.

Key points:

• The legislation will tie council sizes and commissioner numbers to population size, mirroring the system used in mainland Dutch municipalities.
• Island councils and executive councils have expressed general support for the expansion, though they raised concerns about housing costs and administrative support.
• A new civic engagement initiative by ProDemos and the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) will launch on the islands to encourage aspiring local politicians.
• The State Secretary is open to addressing the financial/housing impact of the bill on the islands.
• A formal memorandum on the plan was sent to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Kingdom Relations on April 9.

The overarching goal is to strengthen democratic representation and governance capacity across the three BES islands.

RCN