Structural efforts to achieve a dispute regulation (geschillenregeling) for the countries within the Kingdom have entered a decisive phase. During the Tripartite meeting in the Netherlands, Member of Parliament Edgar Vrolijk indicated that the delegations from Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten have made significant progress, showing solid cooperation with the goal of closing a discussion that has lasted for 16 years without a definitive solution.
MP Edgar Vrolijk, who is driving this execution for Aruba, qualified the meeting as highly fruitful. The debates provided room to review the latest advice received and to evaluate the paths proposed by the sister islands—especially the proposal brought forward by the delegation of Curaçao.
A fundamental pillar in this trajectory was the legal advice received from Aruba’s Department of Legal Affairs (DWZ). With these foundations established, the parliamentarians have now given instructions for the proposals to be reviewed by the corresponding DWZ departments in Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
The next step in this constitutional strategy will be the creation of a petit comité (a small, specialized committee). This group will be tasked with meeting structurally to draft the final proposal (voorstel), integrating the feedback from all three islands.
The ultimate and primary goal of this committee is to jointly produce a thick, solid document to be officially submitted to the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer).
Guaranteeing a consensus between three countries that sometimes have different legal or political views was not an easy task. However, the Aruban delegation highlighted the willingness to find common ground, achieving an exemplary cooperation (samenwerking) within the Kingdom.
Despite initial differences of opinion, the debates always progressed in an atmosphere of mutual respect and with a singular focus on the common goal: giving the Caribbean islands a fair and legal constitutional instrument after more than a decade of waiting.
After 16 years: Caribbean islands closer to a structural dispute regulation for the Kingdom
