THE HAGUE – Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten will receive additional Dutch support in tackling organized crime, drug trafficking, and corruption. This was announced to the Dutch House of Representatives by Minister Foort van Oosten and State Secretary Eddie van Marum.
The islands’ strategic position between Latin America and Europe makes them particularly vulnerable to drug smuggling, arms trafficking, and human trafficking. Small communities also increase the risk of conflicts of interest. “Undermining mixes the legal and illegal worlds,” the ministers noted, adding that it threatens public governance and undermines citizens’ trust in a fair and functioning government.
Although the islands themselves are responsible for combating crime and corruption, they lack sufficient manpower and resources. The Netherlands is therefore stepping in with additional capacity and expertise. “The governments share a joint responsibility to fight undermining. Citizens must be able to rely on a resilient rule of law,” said State Secretary Van Marum.
The cooperation focuses on three key areas: criminal justice, governance, and integrity.
€24 Million Annually for Criminal Investigations
Since 2017, the Netherlands has supported the Joint Criminal Investigation Team (RST), the Public Prosecutors’ Offices, and the Common Court of Justice. Over the coming years, extra capacity will be allocated to investigating financial crimes. A priority is to better trace criminal money flows, with €24 million per year set aside for this purpose.
In the area of governance, €1 million annually is available to strengthen administrative resilience. With this funding, the islands launched the Not On Our Island awareness campaign, and by the end of 2026 they expect to establish an information platform similar to those in the Netherlands.
Integrity Bureaus on All Islands
Efforts are also underway to strengthen integrity systems. Sint Maarten has had an Integrity Chamber since 2019, Aruba established a Bureau of Integrity in 2021, and Curaçao is currently working on setting up its own integrity bureau. Additional measures include stricter rules on political financing, screening of ministers, and integrity training for civil servants.
Since 2023, an annual Integrity Summit has been organized for Caribbean integrity officials. By 2026, a Caribbean Knowledge Center on integrity will be launched for all the islands. To ensure progress is properly monitored, the countries are working with Transparency International, which brings global experience in tracking and preventing corruption.
The Dutch government stressed that the fight against undermining is a long-term commitment, requiring close cooperation between the Netherlands and the three autonomous Caribbean countries.
