THE HAGUE, WILLEMSTAD - The vital question posed by the Council of State of the Kingdom is do the interest of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom weigh enough for the government in The Hague? Shouldn’t the Dutch Caribbean be involved in the preparations for the strategic partnership between the European Union and Canada?

The bill proposal limits the approval to only the European part of the Dutch Kingdom and the Council of State has questions about that. This treaty between the European Union and Canada should contribute to the development and easement of the trade between the EU and Canada.

The Council of State noted that when a treaty has influence on the Dutch Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten, they are not automatically a party to these treaties, but they could be if they desire. The treaty between the EU and Canada could be influential for the Dutch Caribbean. Canada has a lot of relations with these islands, including tourism and capital flows, says the Advisory Council.

The Council of State advises the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stef Blok to include the Dutch Caribbean islands of the Kingdom in the negotiations with Canada. But according to sources, the Minister is not planning on doing that. The Minister is using legal arguments to point out that the agreement does not apply to or will not have any influence on the Dutch Caribbean.