By Staff Writer
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Nov 6, CMC – The Dutch government says while it wants five member countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (ECS) to scrap their controversial Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes, it is unaware that Europe has given them a November 12 deadline to do so.
“The Netherlands, however, has no information showing that the EU has formally set such a deadline,” the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Dutch-based Inter Bellum News on Friday.
Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia all operate a CBI programme through which citizenship is granted to foreign investors in return for making a substantial investment in the socio-economic development of these countries.
The ministry acknowledged that the five Caribbean countries have taken measures to reduce the risks, including setting up a common minimum investment of US$200,000, tightened screening and creating a regional regulator, the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority.
But the ministry nonetheless said the situation “remains worrying for the cabinet and requires continued attention from the European Commission” and that the Netherlands will set its further position on the basis of the Commission’s annual report, noting it “cannot anticipate that at this moment”.
The ministry said that the Netherlands has not discussed the issue separately with the five Caribbean countries regarding the visa-suspension mechanism as an EU instrument, which leaves negotiations to the Commission.
Earlier this week, the Antigua and Barbuda government informed the European Union that it is prepared to “terminate” its CBI programme, proposing a transition period to 2030 to achieve that objective.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne had also floated a November 12 deadline given by Brussels to end the programme or risk losing visa-free access to the Schengen area.
But while the date has been widely publicised in the media regionally and internationally, the European Commission has not confirmed it publicly.
Inter Bellum News said that the Dutch foreign affairs ministry did not dispute Prime Minister Browne’s account.
The ministry noted that Browne had publicly described the date as a response period set by the Commission, and said the Commission is known to be in talks with the five countries “in general terms”.
It said that under the EU’s revised rules, a proposal to suspend their visa exemption can be made. The Dutch government said it shares the EU Commission’s concern about so-called golden passport schemes because they “carry risks in the areas of security and corruption and should therefore be avoided as much as possible”.
The ministry said that it would like to see the five states abolish them “to safeguard the security of the Schengen area”.
The Netherlands also backed the revision of the EU’s visa-suspension mechanism, Regulation (EU) 2025/2441, in force since 30 December 2025, which made running an investor-citizenship scheme a ground for suspending visa-free travel on its own.
But the ministry stressed that there is currently no Commission proposal to suspend visa-free access for any of the five Caribbean countries, and said it would decide whether to support a suspension only once one is tabled.
The Netherlands has also responded to questions raised regarding the government’s relationship with Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands within the EU.
The ministry said it is mindful of possible consequences for the wider Caribbean region, “in particular the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom”, and will take them into account when assessing any proposal.
“At present there is no question of that. The Kingdom’s islands are not targeted by the measure, but they share air routes, trade and families with the five states,” it added.
CMC/gf/ir/2026
