STATIA — The Government of Statia on Friday, 12 December signed a cooperation agreement with Omgevingsdienst NL (ODNL) to provide Statia with structured support to improve the execution of permitting, supervision and enforcement (Vergunningen, Toezicht en Handhaving – VTH) and related policy for environment, construction and nature.
The agreement gives effect to the recommendation in the Inspection of Environment and Transport (ILT) report dated 1 June 2023, which calls for a durable partnership with an environmental service in the European Netherlands to strengthen VTH execution in Caribbean Netherlands. The stated objective is to bring VTH execution into, and keep it in, alignment with the legal requirements set by applicable laws and other regulations. A similar cooperation agreement was signed with the Public Entities Bonaire and Saba.
The agreement was signed in The Hague by Alida Francis, Island Governor of Sint Eustatius, on behalf of the Island, and by Ruben Vlaander, Chair of Omgevingsdienst NL, on behalf of ODNL. The cooperation runs from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027 and will be implemented through an annual Work Plan, starting with the attached Work Plan 2026. The Government of Statia retains the directing role, while ODNL provides advisory and specialist support on request, including support to strengthen execution quality and address complex dossiers.
Operational coordination will include weekly consultations. ODNL will designate a project lead as the central point of contact for Statia; this is currently Roel van de Loo. ODNL will report quarterly on progress and expenditure, and both parties will jointly prepare an annual report for the Island Secretary and the Executive Council. ODNL experts will act as independent specialists, and their advice will be issued with the ODNL logo; Statia may deviate from that advice with reasons, which will be explicitly recorded in the final advice to the mandate holder.
The agreement is entered into on the condition that the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) makes available the financial resources required for the activities in the Work Plan. Following signature, it enters into force once those resources have been made available to ODNL.
