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Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.

He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.

In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.

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Some years ago the Bulgarians in Europe knew nothing about the Netherlands Antilles. They knew nothing about where they are and about who lives there. Suddenly all this benign ignorance ended when a paid killer in one of these archipelagoes' islands killed a prominent figure of the Bulgarian underworld. The figure was so prominent that even the smaller newspapers sent reporters on the spot. This murder really happened and it could happen to anyone involved in money laundering because the Netherlands Antilles are known worldwide not only for their pristine beaches but also as a base for many criminal groups.

Sometimes when I talk openly about some social illnesses around the world I receive letters, blaming me for the position I hold, and putting under suspicion the credibility of the displayed facts and sources. It's always easier to blame the messenger for the bad news instead of trying to fix the situation. I emphasize on the fact that the Netherlands Antilles is one of the money-laundering centers and also a transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe. Before blaming me for this position, I should advice my future critics to look at the CIA World Factbook. There are of course other things to be fixed in these islands, but we will mention them later.

These islands attract not only the criminal world but also thousands of ordinary tourists and small investors, looking for warmer winters and smaller taxes. The investors are attracted by the fixed since 1989 exchange rate of the Netherlands Antillean guilders against the US dollar. In this respect their money are protected against financial turbulences. On the other hand, just a few things on the islands depend on the past colonial power. The internal affairs are responsibility of the local administration. This status quo exists since 1954 so before investing in the Netherlands Antilles the foreigners shouldn't look at the financial regulations in the Netherlands in Europe.

The US State Department has issued some warnings to the American investors but I suppose these warnings concern any foreigner with plans to go to the Netherlands Antilles. In general these warnings advise the investors not to be overconfident when they buy timeshares or put their money in land developments. According to the State Department some Americans complain about the bad maintenance of their timeshares despite the high annual maintenance fees. Also the future investors are warned that the real estate investment problems that reach local courts are rarely settled in favor of foreign investors. In other words, the islands could be an excellent investment opportunity but always pay attention to the smaller letters and numbers in the footnotes of the contract you sign.

We promised an article about the Netherlands Antilles full of problems to be fixed but there are still to come. The islands, de facto independent in everything except the foreign relations and the security matters, are driven by some local politicians toward a full independence from the Kingdom of Netherlands. In fact their actual status can't be sustained indefinitely when the new common financial regulations in EU come into force. The Netherlands Antilles will have to choose between the full independence that preserves their present status as an offshore center and the limited liberty in the internal matters, which is the EU offer. This choice will determine the future of the islands and also the future of the foreign investments.

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Netherland Antilles Profile:

• Area: 960 sq km (includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten)
• Population: 214,258 (July 2002 est.)
• Population growth rate: 0.93% (2002 est.)
• Net migration rate: -0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
• Life expectancy at birth: 75.15 years
• Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish
• GDP per capita: purchasing power parity $11,400 (2000 est.)
• Main trading partners: US, Mexico.

(Source: CIA - The World Factbook 2002)

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See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Netherland Antilles.