Two countries, one island
For the second time in a matter of days, the opinion pages (see also Saturday’s paper) of this newspaper today carry a letter from a European French citizen who was given a hard time by Immigration at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA). In each case the person involved was told he or she needed a French-side residency card, when such cards stopped being issued two years ago.
The two sides of the island have always shared the airport on the Dutch side without problems. The fact that the French side is a direct part of France and thus of the Europe Union (EU) meant that after the European integration all EU citizens could work and live freely on the French side, which the majority, of course, must access via PJIA.
The Lt. Governor and the Central Government, under which the Immigration Department falls, were well aware of this. A Franco-Dutch treaty on joint Immigration control at the airport was even ratified more than a decade after it was agreed on.
It is inconceivable that Antillean Immigration workers at the airport of St.
Maarten/St. Martin still don’t seem to know how it works: European citizens (except for Dutch Europeans), like other tourists, cannot work on the Dutch side or stay longer than three months, but they can reside and work on the French side without restrictions. In other words, the only thing Immigration can require from these people, apart from a passport, is a French-side address where they are staying.
If the two sides of the island are to work together so that it can in effect remain one island with open borders and free movement of people and goods as laid down in the Treaty of Concordia, authorities will have to learn to deal with these issues accordingly. It’s all very good to talk about unity and working together every November 11 on St. Maarten/St. Martin Day, but it’s putting those ideals into practice all year that really counts.
Give us your opinion on this story ![[new]](/images/new.gif)
Post a message on our message board! Click Here!
