These eight islands are united through the E8 partnership. The E8 has been successful in ensuring that the collective voice of Dutch island communities is heard by the Dutch Government and political representatives. The partnership also meets regularly to exchange knowledge and work together on shared issues.
The Two-Day Working Programme
The programme began with the arrival of officials at the TESO ferry terminal in Den Helder, where they were welcomed by the King's Commissioner of Noord-Holland, Arthur van Dijk, before travelling to Texel. Upon arrival, the delegation was welcomed by the Mayor of Texel, Mark Pol.
The first day included a presentation and visit to De Zoete Toekomst, an innovative approach to freshwater storage for agriculture on Texel. Participants learned about the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainable freshwater management on islands.
The programme continued with a thematic session on integrity and good island governance, led by King's Commissioner Arthur van Dijk. Representatives from the Wadden and Caribbean islands exchanged experiences on administrative resilience, undermining activities, transparent and trustworthy electoral processes, and the governance of foundations and semi-public organisations.
The session also included a presentation by the Island Governor of Saba, Jocelyn Levenston, on the upcoming 2027 elections and the use of proxy voting, followed by an exchange of experiences and perspectives among participants.
The Island Governor of Bonaire, John Soliano, gave a presentation on good governance within government-owned and semi-public organisations. He discussed the complex environment in which these organisations operate, the role of government as a shareholder, and the different roles and responsibilities within these organisations. The presentation highlighted how good governance can support organisations in achieving their goals.
On 2 October, the programme continued with an excursion to De Slufter, organised in cooperation with the Vogelinformatiecentrum Texel and Staatsbosbeheer. The excursion highlighted Texel's approach to nature management and the protection of vulnerable coastal environments.
This was followed by an E8 working session, introduced by the Mayor of Vlieland and E8 Chairman, Michiel Schrier. Representatives of the three Caribbean public entities and five Wadden Islands reflected on the partnership and discussed the substantive topics on which the E8 will collaborate in the coming year.
The E8 then welcomed members of the Dutch Parliament, including members of the standing committees for Infrastructure and Water Management and Kingdom Relations.
In her address, Governor Alida Francis outlined three key priorities emerging from the E8 islands' discussions: equal investment, stronger local implementation capacity and greater climate action. She emphasised that equal treatment should not mean applying mainland policies uniformly to the islands, but rather achieving equitable outcomes that recognise their unique scale, logistical realities and cost structures.
Governor Francis also highlighted the challenges faced by small island administrations, including limited human resources and access to specialised expertise, and stressed the need to strengthen their capacity to implement policies effectively. On climate resilience, she called for a greater focus on implementation, underscoring the need to move beyond strategies and "turn paper into practice."
To reinforce these shared priorities, Mayor Mark Pol of Texel and Governor Francis presented Member of the Second Chamber Heera Dijk with a board outlining the E8's three core messages. Dijk received the joint message on behalf of the delegation, marking the formal presentation of the E8 islands' shared priorities to the Second Chamber.
The Mayor of Schiermonnikoog, Henri Meendering, then addressed the topic of water safety, including the role of natural systems such as salt marshes in coastal protection. The discussions also considered the relationship between the functions of coral reefs in the Caribbean and coastal protection measures in the Wadden Islands.
The two-day programme concluded with a visit to De Schorren, under the guidance of Natuurmonumenten, before participants departed Texel for Den Helder.
