WILLEMSTAD - Persistent staff shortages in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom are hindering Dutch cooperation and law enforcement support efforts in Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten, according to outgoing State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Eddie van Marum.
Van Marum acknowledged that it remains difficult to recruit qualified local personnel, which restricts operational capacity and forces adjustments to several ongoing projects.
The Netherlands and the Caribbean countries are working together to find solutions, particularly in border control, where the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee provides technical expertise and training. Existing cooperation agreements are now being reviewed and evaluated to identify ways to strengthen the partnership. Jo
int efforts also target organized and subversive crime, including corruption and official misconduct among public officials. Despite limited resources, several major investigations have already been carried out.
Van Marum added that the Netherlands remains committed to helping the islands improve financial governance and reduce budgetary backlogs, primarily through enhanced fiscal management and supervision by the financial oversight boards (Cft).
The state secretary emphasized that sustainable cooperation requires not only financial assistance but also institutional strengthening and local capacity-building, so that the Caribbean partners can maintain and expand these efforts independently in the long term.