On Bonaire, the day started with a church service, followed by other social activities. Managing director Bermudez of the Tax Service Caribbean Netherlands BCN in his speech during the official part of the day elaborated on the so-called “BES legislation” for the three new overseas special public entities of The Netherlands, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.

 

He also mentioned that a new operational framework has been introduced for the customs department. The old-fashioned visual controls at warehouses and E-zones have been replaced by administrative supervision and audits. This offers clients more space and time to comply with their legal requirements, while customs officers now rely on risk management and profiling supported by modern electronic tools. The importance of close cooperation between chain partners such as the Royal Military Police, the Caribbean Netherlands Police Corps, the Coast Guard and the Fire Brigade was also addressed. Bermudez announced that this year several agreements shall be concluded for joint operations that will get more efficiency from the available manpower and means.

 

The Customs Department of the Caribbean Netherlands is part of BCN and primarily in charge of supervision on the flow of goods to and from Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, as well as levying the ABB sales tax at import. As such, it is part of the Dutch Customs Service.