Group photo.
TEXEL--Representatives from the Caribbean public entities of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES) and the five Wadden Islands Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog gathered on Texel on October 1 and 2 for a two-day work programme.
These eight islands are united in the so-called E8 partnership. E8 serves as the collective voice of the Dutch island communities in dealings with government and the political establishment. The group also meets regularly to exchange knowledge and work on shared issues.
The programme began at the TESO ferry terminal in Den Helder, where officials were met by King’s Commissioner for North Holland Arthur van Dijk, before travelling to Texel. On arrival, the delegation was welcomed by Texel Mayor Mark Pol.
The first day included a presentation and a visit to “De Zoete Toekomst” (The Sweet Future), an innovative approach to freshwater storage for agriculture on Texel. Participants learned about the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainable freshwater management for islands.
The programme continued with a thematic session on integrity and good island governance, led by Van Dijk. Representatives from the Wadden and Caribbean islands exchanged experiences regarding administrative resilience, subversive crime, transparent and reliable elections, and the governance of foundations and semi-public organisations.
During the session Jocelyn Levenstone, Island Governor of Saba, also gave a presentation on the upcoming 2027 elections and the use of proxy voting, followed by an exchange of experiences and viewpoints among the participants.
John Soliano, Island Governor of Bonaire, gave a presentation on good governance within public and semi-public organisations. He addressed the complex environment in which these organisations operate, the role of the government as a shareholder, and the various roles and responsibilities within these organisations. The presentation highlighted how good governance can support organisations in achieving their objectives.
On October 2, the programme continued with an excursion to De Slufter, organised in collaboration with the Texel Bird Information Centre and Staatsbosbeheer (State Forestry Service). The excursion covered Texel’s approach to nature management and the protection of vulnerable coastal areas.
This was followed by an E8 working meeting, introduced by Michiel Schrier, Mayor of Vlieland and Chair of the E8. Representatives from the Wadden and Caribbean islands reflected on the partnership and discussed the substantive topics on which the E8 will collaborate in the coming year.
Subsequently, the E8 welcomed members of the Dutch House of Representatives, including members of the Standing Committees on Infrastructure and Water Management and on Kingdom Relations.
In her address, Statia Island Governor Alida Francis outlined three key priorities that emerged from the E8 discussions: equal investment, stronger local implementation capacity, and increased climate action. She emphasised that equal treatment should not mean the uniform application of mainland policies to the islands; rather, fair outcomes must be achieved that take into account their unique size, logistical realities and cost structures.
Francis also highlighted challenges facing small island administrations – such as limited staffing and access to specialised expertise – and stressed the need to strengthen their capacity to implement policies effectively. Regarding climate resilience, she called for greater focus on implementation, underscoring the need to look beyond strategies and “turn paper into practice”.
To reinforce these shared priorities, Pol and Francis presented Member of Parliament Heera Dijk with a board displaying the E8’s three key messages. She accepted the joint message on behalf of the delegation, along with colleagues Marieke Vellinga-Beemsterboer, Luciënne Boelsma-Hoekstra and Björn Schutz, thereby formally presenting the E8’s shared priorities to the House of Representatives.
Schiermonnikoog Mayor Henri Meendering then addressed the topic of water safety, including the role of natural systems – such as salt marshes – in coastal protection. The discussions also touched on the connection between the functions of coral reefs in the Caribbean and coastal protection measures on the Wadden Islands.
The two-day programme concluded with a visit to De Schorren, led by nature conservation organisation Natuurmonumenten, after which the participants left Texel to travel back to Den Helder.
