The Dutch government has set the 2026 budget for Kingdom Relations at approximately €180 million, a significant reduction compared to earlier projections, largely due to the transfer of funds to other ministries and shifts in long-term spending priorities. According to the revised budget presented alongside the Spring Memorandum (Voorjaarsnota), the decrease reflects structural reallocations, particularly to the Ministries of Justice and Security and Defense. Funds previously included under Kingdom Relations for law enforcement and border control will now be administered directly by those ministries. The reallocation includes funding for key institutions in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, such as the Joint…
Author: The Publisher
Since 2020, the Trust Fund’s Enterprise Support Project (ESP) has empowered more than three hundred of Sint Maarten’s small businesses with loans and grants. The project which is implemented by the National Recovery Program Bureau, was established to strengthen recovery and increase the resilience of businesses on the island after Hurricane Irma’s destruction in 2017. As ESP’s financing activities are now complete, the project is moving to the next chapter of support. This phase is dedicated to creating enduring support systems for the long-term success of local businesses even after ESP closes in 2028. These systems aim to reach many…
Transition to Caribbean guilder successfully completed Willemstad/Philipsburg – One year after the introduction of the Caribbean guilder, the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) looks back on a smooth transition to the new currency. As of 1 April 2026, Netherlands Antillean guilder (NAf) banknotes and coins can only be exchanged at the CBCS. Exchange at commercial banks will no longer be possible from this date. The public can continue to exchange NAf at the CBCS until 31 March 2055. On March 31st, 2025, the Caribbean guilder was officially introduced in the monetary union of Curaçao and Sint Maarten.…
Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams, leader of the Democratic Party (DP), on Tuesday presented a proposal to establish a Community-driven District Development Fund for St. Maarten, receiving broad support from members of the Committee for District Councils (CDC), which she chairs. The proposal, aimed at strengthening community participation and decentralizing development efforts, was discussed during a CDC meeting attended by DP MP Dimar Labega, Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM) MP Veronica Jansen-Webster, United People’s (UP) party MP Francisco Lacroes, and Nation, Opportunity and Wealth (NOW) party MP Lyndon Lewis. Members expressed general agreement with the initiative. Wescot-Williams formally requested the committee’s endorsement to explore and pilot the fund, which…
Dear Editor, I read with interest a recent article by Alexander Gumbs, decrying potential increases in cruise ship taxes in the Caribbean. As CEO of the Port St Maarten Group, Mr Gumbs has a vested interest in Caribbean cruise tourism. To be fair, I have a different vested interest through many years involvement in resort development consultancy across the Caribbean. Mr Gumbs argued that “cruise tourism is sometimes assessed too narrowly through the lens of taxation rather than its broader economic contribution to destinations and tourism authorities should instead pay closer attention to how cruise passengers actually spend money during their…
Legal and financial uncertainty surrounding the future of the monetary union between Curaçao and St. Maarten took center stage in Parliament on Tuesday. Member of Parliament Viren Kotai, representing the Democratic Party (DP), pressed for clarity on whether either country can independently withdraw from the arrangement and what the consequences would be. His intervention followed a candid presentation by DP Minister of Finance Marinka Gumbs, who outlined growing tensions within the monetary union between Curaçao and St. Maarten and raised concerns about structural imbalances within the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS). With reports that Curaçao may be considering a departure from the monetary…
By Hilbert Haar I know that it is not done to blow your own horn but still, the initiative by StMaartenNews.com Publisher and Chairman of the Trey Foundation Terrance Rey to establish a digital platform dedicated to projects about the history of slavery deserves more than a casual footnote. Slavery is of course a painful subject, more so in the Caribbean countries of the Kingdom than in The Netherlands but that does not mean that the topic should be ignored or even buried under the blanket of history. On the contrary, our citizens, and especially our young generation, should be…
The failure of the government’s latest solid waste tender process has forced the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) to reset its approach, with Minister Patrice Gumbs announcing a series of corrective measures, including an external review, temporary contract extensions, and broader reforms to the country’s waste management system. Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Minister Gumbs acknowledged that all 17 bidders in the 2026–2029 garbage collection tender failed to meet mandatory eligibility requirements, effectively halting the awarding process and requiring government to reconsider its next steps. The Minister explained that allowing corrections to bids during the evaluation phase would have compromised…
Member of Parliament Egbert Doran delivered sharp criticism in Parliament regarding the handling of garbage haulers and the government’s tendering process, describing the situation as a clear example of mismanagement and lack of accountability within the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI). Speaking on Wednesday during the first round of questions to VROMI Minister Patrice Gumbs, Doran focused heavily on what he characterized as inconsistencies in the Minister’s narrative surrounding the failed garbage collection tender. According to Doran, the explanation provided by the Minister did not align with information circulating among stakeholders and those directly involved in the process. Doran took issue with the…
The April 1st parliamentary meeting that began as a routine presentation by Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Patrice Gumbs quickly escalated into a session marked by pointed questions and critical commentary from Members of Parliament, culminating in the formal submission of a Motion of No Confidence by MP Lyndon Lewis. The motion submitted by Lewis calls for the immediate resignation of Minister Gumbs, citing what he described as ongoing failures in governance, infrastructure management, and public service delivery. It is supported by Egbert Doran, representing the National Alliance (NA), and Omar Ottley of the United People’s (UP) party. Lewis, representing the Nation, Opportunity and Wealth…
