Dutch Caribbean Territories Facing EU Law

Abstract

This paper provides a concise overview of the evolving legal status of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the context of European integration from the beginning of the fifties until the recent reform which reshaped the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom in October 2010. Implications of the recent reform for the future of the Dutch Overseas are far-reaching, opening new vistas of the Netherlands relations with the Caribbean territories and demonstrating the European Union’s growing indirect involvement win the overseas constitutional politics of its Member States. This text is an updated English translation of an article written in French, entitled 'Le Droit européen et le fédéralisme néerlandais: Une dynamique en évolution progressive', which appeared in J.-Y. Faberon et al. (eds.), Destins des collectivités politiques d'Océanie; Vol. 1: Théories et Pratiques, Aix-en-Provence, Presses universitaires d'Aix-Marseille, 2011, pp. 345-353.

Keywords: Dutch Caribbean, Law, EU, Overseas, OCT, Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Kingdom of the Netherlands