Sint Eustatius working visit to CAS islands
Equal treatment for BES islands
Sint Eustatius, [October 2nd, 2025] - From September 15-19, 2025, Island Council member Clyde van Putten together with the Island Registrar joined a Bonaire delegation on a working visit to the parliaments of Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten. The visit included active dialogue and in-depth presentation on equal treatment within the Dutch Kingdom, aimed at securing moral support from the other islands. The delegation also held meetings with the Prime Ministers of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, as well as Chair of Parliament of Aruba.
As a result of this visit, the delegations of the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten have expressed their moral support for the Island Councils of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba in opposing elements of the proposed revisions to the WolBES and FinBES legislation. The position was formalized in a resolution adopted during the tripartite consultations held on September 25, 2025, in The Hague.
In the resolution, the three parliamentary delegations emphasized that the Dutch government must respect the right of self-determination of the BES islands and guarantee that any changes to the WolBES and FinBES do not erode that right. The resolution further stated that the Island Councils should be given "meaningful say" in all decisions that directly affect their populations.
Picture Highlights Lobby Tour
A copy of the resultion was submitted to the delegations of the First and Second Chamber during the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultations (IPKO) in The Hague on September 26th, 2025.
