Are Bonaire and St Eustatius governed by Dutch government?

Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba are each governed by an island authority and by Dutch central government. The islands are public bodies of the Netherlands, similar to municipalities. Unlike municipalities in the Netherlands, however, the Caribbean islands are not part of a Dutch province.

What are Bonaire & Sint Eustatius?

These are the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, [ 10 ][ nb 1 ] as they are also known in legislation, or the BES islands (an acronym of their names; most people believe, however, it's an acronym for 'Bijzondere Eilandelijke Status' meaning special island status) for short.

Who is the representative of Bonaire Sint Eustatius & Saba?

The Representative for the public bodies of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba represents the Government of the Netherlands on the islands and also performs tasks similar to a King's Commissioner. [citation needed] The current representative is Gilbert Isabella.

Does EU law apply to Bonaire Islands?

The islands are officially classified as public bodies [ 11 ] in the Netherlands and as overseas territories of the European Union; as such, European Union law does not automatically apply to them. Bonaire (including the islet of Klein Bonaire) is one of the Leeward Antilles and is located close to the coast of Venezuela.

Is Bonaire part of the Netherlands Antilles?

Bonaire was part of the Netherlands Antilles until the country's dissolution in 2010, [ 15 ] when the island became a special municipality (officially, a " Caribbean public body ") within the country of the Netherlands. [ 16 ]

Is Bonaire a Catholic island?

Catholicism was introduced during the period of Spanish rule. Although the island would pass under the control of the Protestant Netherlands, Catholicism remained the principal island religion. Ecclesiastically, the churches on Bonaire depend on the Catholic diocese of Willemstad on the neighboring island of Curaçao.