Local News

June 08, 2026

THE HAGUE--Roban van Herk, consultant at TNO and co-author of a report on the energy transition in Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten, told IPKO that the Dutch SDE++ subsidy model cannot simply be applied to the Caribbean countries and that tailored support is needed, particularly...

June 08, 2026

PHILIPSBURG--The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI), in collaboration with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), hosted a well-attended Business Support Session on Wednesday, June 3, at the University of St. Martin (USM), providing entrepreneurs and busines...

June 08, 2026

PHILIPSBURG—The government issued 2,253 compliance letters to businesses and taxpayers during its Joint Tax Compliance Initiative between February and April 2026, resulting in hundreds of taxpayer submissions, company file reviews and improved revenue collections across severa...

June 07, 2026

PHILIPSBURG--The St. Maarten Diagnostic Center in Simpson Bay is currently under review by the Inspectorate of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (IVSA), with Acting Inspector-General Dr. Joe Alcalá investigating the operations of the clinic and its physicians, Dr. Mi...

June 07, 2026

GREAT BAY--Sundial School held its annual Taaldorp on Friday, giving Form 2 students the opportunity to put their Dutch language skills into practice in a lively, realistic and interactive setting. The annual activity, coordinated by Ms. Roxsana Pantophlet, is one of the...

June 07, 2026

THE HAGUE--Former Attorney General of Aruba and former Chief Public Prosecutor for Bonaire, Statia and Saba Bote ter Steege told IPKO on Saturday that politicians and ministers in small island societies must understand that their behavior has consequences far beyond politics,...

June 07, 2026

THE HAGUE--Former Attorney General of Aruba and former Chief Public Prosecutor for the BES islands Bote ter Steege used Saturday’s IPKO panel discussion to urge Kingdom partners to take a more serious and practical approach to human rights concerns in the Caribbean part of the...

June 07, 2026

THE HAGUE--St. Maarten has too many institutions for the size of the country and too little capacity to properly staff and operate them. That was one of the clearest observations made by Maria van der Sluijs-Plantz, Chairwoman of the Evaluation Committee for the Mutual Arrange...

June 07, 2026

THE HAGUE--Chairwoman of the Evaluation Committee for the Mutual Arrangement for Cooperation on Reforms, Maria van der Sluijs-Plantz, told IPKO on Saturday that reform cooperation between the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten has produced concrete results, but remain...

June 07, 2026

GREAT BAY--Two new airline partnerships involving Winair, Contour Airlines, LIAT Air and Air Caraïbes are pointing to a broader shift in Caribbean aviation, as regional carriers work to make island-to-island travel less complicated, better connected and more useful for re...

June 06, 2026

THE HAGUE--Curaçao MP Quincy Girigorie of PAR delivered one of the sharper contributions at IPKO, challenging the Netherlands on what he described as a painful double standard: when the Netherlands faces migration pressures, the matter is treated as urgent, but when Curaçao wa...

June 06, 2026

THE HAGUE--Chairlady of the Parliament of St. Maarten, MP Sarah Wescot-Williams, CKAIR Chairlady MP Sjamira Roseburg and MP Omar Ottley used Saturday’s IPKO panel discussion in the Netherlands to call for Kingdom cooperation that is more practical, more respectful and more con...

June 06, 2026

GREAT BAY--Ference Lamp has been nominated as the new President of the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS), following a two-day summit in Willemstad aimed at easing recent tensions between Curaçao and St. Maarten over appointments within the monetary institution. Th...