Responsibilities of the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten
Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten are responsible for matters such as good governance, education and the judicial system in their countries. The Netherlands is responsible for the foreign policy of the Kingdom as a whole. This is laid down in the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Powers of the countries of the Kingdom
The Kingdom of the Netherlands has overarching responsibility for foreign relations, defence and Dutch nationality law. Agreements made on these matters apply to the entire Kingdom. The Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten must therefore comply with and implement these agreements. In other areas, such as healthcare, tourism and employment, the individual countries can determine their own policy.
Foreign policy
The Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence serve all 4 countries of the Kingdom. The same goes for the Dutch embassies and consulates around the world. The Netherlands makes foreign policy for the entire Kingdom. In doing so, it must take account of the interests of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.