Curacao Aruba Sint Maarten Miss Deadline for Kingdom Statute Advice
WILLEMSTAD – The governments of Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten failed to submit a timely joint response to a 2024 advisory opinion from the Council of State concerning the Kingdom Statute. State Secretary for Kingdom Relations, Zsolt Szabó, revealed this in a letter to the Dutch House of Representatives.
The Council of State’s advice aimed to encourage open dialogue on how the Statute functions and how the four countries relate within the Kingdom. Leaders had promised to deliver a collective reaction in time for the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO), originally scheduled for October. That meeting was moved to June this year due to a NATO summit.
Szabó explained that on February 6, he met with the prime ministers of the Caribbean countries. At that meeting, they agreed that each country would submit input for the joint response by May. However, Aruba officially requested an extension. Curaçao and Sint Maarten, via their civil servants, signaled they needed more time.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands submitted its response on May 23 during a Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting.
Szabó stressed that input from the Caribbean partners is crucial to shaping a shared Kingdom position. To move the process forward, he will invite the prime ministers of the three Caribbean countries for a new round of consultations. He also promised to share any new positions with the House of Representatives, if they prove relevant.
The Kingdom Statute outlines constitutional relationships between the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten. During a lecture at the University of Curaçao in October 2024, Vice-President of the Council of State, Thom de Graaf, argued that the Statute can sometimes obstruct cooperation instead of supporting it. He emphasized that genuine collaboration should stem from local needs—not from external pressure masked as respect for autonomy.
The Council of State recommended several measures: improve cooperation within the Kingdom, ensure sound governance in the Caribbean countries, and reinforce equality among the countries. These points also relate back to the 2006 constitutional reform agreements.