The Island and Executive Councils of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba after the BES Summit last week.
ST. EUSTATIUS/SABA--Fostering dialogue on formal cooperation and establishing joint positions on areas of common interest were of the main outcomes of the BES Summit, the Island and Executive Councils of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba said in a joint press release on Wednesday.
The summit of elected and appointed officials of the three so-called BES island took place on St. Maarten from January 16-18. The next summit will take place in The Hague in March.
“The main objective of the three-day forum was to continue to forge a collective approach on ad-ministrative and political challenges facing the islands, some of which have been a direct result of the constitutional transition [in 2010 – Ed.]”, it was stated in the press release.
Presiding over the session was St. Eustatius Island Council Member Glenville Schmidt, whose one-year chairmanship over the group will end in June. Afterwards, the position of chairperson will pass to a representative from Saba.
“Participants of the summit agreed that the meetings had proven to be a platform for open debate, as well as an opportunity to develop consensus,” it was stated in the press release. “The common purpose and aim of these island summits are to work on a joint mechanism of permanent cooperation between the islands, and to gain detailed insight into the different priorities present on the various islands when it comes to the changes of the WolBES and FinBES [laws].”
The three islands said it is important to identify shared concerns about the changes to these laws before they are presented to the Dutch Second Chamber for its approval.
“The three islands believe that it is a truly historic occasion that the islands on their own accord seek to establish their own cooperation. They also acknowledge that building consensus can at times appear to be an arduous task. However, collectively, they remain cognisant that this is a joint effort, and it is important to remain supportive of each other even when differing in their outlook,” it was stated in the press release.
