Rutte on holiday

Come on, say yes!

Visiting the former Netherlands Antilles, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte caused controversy by stating that if local politicians want independence, they "only [have] to call, then we'll deal with it."

The former Dutch Caribbean colonies are composed of autonomous states including Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten, while the islands of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius have a special status within the kingdom. All these areas have a status of "associated" with the EU.

Receive the best of the independent European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support border-free European journalism

Donate to bolster our independence