Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten work on joint pandemic legislation

ORANJESTAD – Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten are working together on new legislation aimed at strengthening preparations for future pandemics and the control of infectious diseases. Aruba is allocating up to nearly €50,000 to complete the legal phase of the project.

The initiative covers public health, infectious-disease control and pandemic preparedness. An initial phase and part of a second phase have already been completed, but according to the Aruban government, previous funding was insufficient to finish the entire process.

The remaining work includes completing draft legislation, explanatory memoranda, legal opinions and other legal documents. The lawyer involved will also support the political decision-making process and the eventual implementation of the legislation. The assignment runs from July 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027.

Funding comes from a grant provided by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. Aruba currently chairs the four-country steering group on pandemic preparedness and is responsible for the grant’s administrative handling.

The legal assignment is being awarded directly, without a tender procedure, to a lawyer who was involved in earlier phases of the project. An assignment of this size would normally require a limited tender under Aruban rules. The government says an exception is justified because of the lawyer’s specific knowledge of the file, expertise and the need for continuity.

The project is intended to give Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten a more permanent legal framework for responding to future health emergencies, rather than relying solely on temporary emergency plans.