WILLEMSTAD – As the European Union prepares a revised framework for cooperation with Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), concerns are growing that Curaçao and the Dutch Caribbean may be structurally disadvantaged compared to larger French overseas territories when it comes to accessing and absorbing EU funding.
Under the proposed system, Dutch and French OCTs would collectively have access to a funding envelope of €425 million. While the amount appears substantial, Dutch lawmakers have warned that competition within this shared pool is inherently uneven, given the vast differences in scale, administrative capacity, and political leverage between the territories.
French OCTs such as French Polynesia and New Caledonia benefit from significantly larger populations, stronger institutional frameworks, and long-standing experience with EU programs. Curaçao, by contrast, operates with a much smaller civil service, limited project-development capacity, and fewer specialized experts capable of navigating complex EU application and compliance procedures.
Members of the Dutch Parliament have cautioned that, in practice, this imbalance could result in French territories securing a disproportionate share of EU resources, even though Curaçao and the other Dutch Caribbean islands face acute challenges in areas such as energy transition, climate adaptation, food security, and economic diversification.
Another point of concern is that the revised EU framework places increasing emphasis on thematic priorities and competitive project selection, rather than guaranteed national or territorial allocations. While this approach rewards strong proposals, it also risks sidelining smaller administrations that lack the staffing and financial buffers needed to prepare high-quality bids or pre-finance projects.
Lawmakers have urged the Dutch government to actively advocate for Curaçao’s interests in Brussels, including by pushing for targeted technical assistance, simplified procedures for small OCTs, and safeguards to ensure a more balanced distribution of funds. Without such measures, they argue, Curaçao could remain formally eligible for EU support while being effectively excluded in practice.
The debate highlights a broader structural issue: while Curaçao is increasingly viewed as strategically important within the Kingdom and the wider Caribbean region, its ability to compete on equal footing with larger overseas territories remains limited. As EU negotiations continue, the outcome will be crucial in determining whether Curaçao can truly benefit from European funding—or whether size and capacity will once again determine access more than need.
