The decision to seek closer ties with Caricom was taken after two days of discussions on 20-21 September in Curacao, between a team from the Caricom Secretariat led by Secretary-General Edwin Carrington and the government of the Netherlands Antilles led by Prime Minister Emily de Jongh Elhage.

Substantive discussions on the issue of the observer status in the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) and the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), as well as a relationship with the Council of Tax Administrators (COTA), took place during a meeting last Friday between the Secretariat team and the Netherlands Antilles government, led by Minister of Economic and Labour Affairs Elvis Tjin A Sjoe, and Secretary of State for Finance Alex Rosario.

At a press conference following the meeting, the Netherlands Antilles Prime Minister stressed that her government was deeply interested in the area of functional co-operation. Minister of Education and Public Health, Omayra Leeflang also emphasised the importance of sharing information to resolve issues of mutual interest.

Secretary-General Carrington told the media that the meetings were fruitful, and reportedly extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to visit the Secretariat to continue the discussions towards closer relations and to build on the “warm, friendly relations” engendered during the two-day visit. Mr Carrington stated that he had positive feelings about the future relations between the islands of the Netherlands Antilles and Caricom, and looked forward to the ideas discussed during the visit coming to fruition very soon.

Earlier in the day, the Secretary-General had paid a courtesy call on the Governor-General of the Netherlands Antilles, Frits Goedgedrag and he and his team had participated in a mini symposium at the Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles, entitled: “Caricom and the Netherlands Antilles: A private sector point of view for input on Government’s approach to Caricom”.

Until recently, the Netherland Antilles had maintained something of an isolationist policy with regard to its Caribbean neighbours, but has been steadily reversing this policy by negotiating a number of tax and trade agreements with regional partners. However, its discussions with Caricom are perhaps the clearest indication yet that the Netherland Antilles wants to break with its isolationist past, and may represent the first step towards its eventual full membership of Caricom, which is attempting to construct an EU-style single economic area.