Politics
Evaluation recommends extending Kingdom border-control protocol, citing staff shortages in Sint Maarten
An independent evaluation of the 2021 protocol under which the Netherlands supports border control in Sint Maarten, Aruba and Curaçao recommends a conditional three-year extension. It finds the protocol added value but met its goals only in part.
By SXM Daily ·
An independent evaluation of the protocol under which the Netherlands supports border control in Sint Maarten, Aruba and Curaçao recommends extending it by three years on conditions, after finding that it added value but met its goals only in part.
Dutch State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Eric van der Burg sent the evaluation, by research firm DSP-groep, to the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) with a letter dated October 2.
What the protocol does
The Protocol for Strengthening Border Control (Protocol versterking grenstoezicht) was signed by the four countries on February 4, 2021. Under it, the Netherlands provides funds, capacity, equipment and knowledge to help fight cross-border crime, including deployments of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar) and Dutch Customs. Sint Maarten's action plan was adopted at the end of March 2022.
Main findings
According to the evaluators, the deployment of KMar and Dutch Customs staff was largely realized and mainly brought extra capacity and closer cooperation. But capacity problems and the lack of clear, measurable goals make the protocol's effects hard to measure and steer. None of the countries met the preconditions set at the start, the report says.
The evaluators recommend a three-year extension tied to clear conditions and improvements in governance and implementation. These include measurable goals, concrete plans to recruit and retain border staff, and a long-term vision for border control in the Kingdom.
Findings on Sint Maarten
The report's findings on Sint Maarten are based on interviews and reflect respondents' views, not official positions of the countries. According to the evaluators:
- Sint Maarten started with the biggest backlog in border control but now shows visible professionalization, most clearly at Princess Juliana International Airport and in the multi-agency Alpha Team.
- Customs and the Immigration and Border Protection Services face severe, persistent staff shortages. One respondent put Customs Sint Maarten at 26 full-time equivalents.
- Protocol funds were significantly underspent, partly because of complex procedures.
- The border intelligence centre (IC-Grens) is still being developed in Sint Maarten and is not yet staffed.
- The protocol was not flexible enough to redeploy KMar staff quickly during a spike in armed robberies in Sint Maarten at the end of 2025.
Respondents in Sint Maarten mostly described the protocol's contribution as very large, and several said border control would quickly decline without it.
What happens next
The findings will feed into talks between the Netherlands and Sint Maarten, Aruba and Curaçao on the protocol's future, and the House will be informed of the outcome before summer 2027, Van der Burg wrote. The letter does not say that an extension has been agreed. SXM Daily found no public position from the Sint Maarten government on the evaluation.
Sources
- https://www.tweedekamer.nl/downloads/document?id=2026D48338
- https://www.tweedekamer.nl/downloads/document?id=2026D48337
- https://nu.cw/2026/10/05/grenscontrole-heeft-meerwaarde-maar-verbetering-noodzakelijk/
- https://sxm-talks.com/the-peoples-tribune/evaluation-recommends-extending-border-control-protocol-with-st-maarten-the-peoples-tribune
Source: https://www.tweedekamer.nl/downloads/document?id=2026D48338