GREAT BAY--Parliament on Thursday approved the country’s 2026 national budget by a vote of 10 for and 5 against, bringing to a close a week-long debate that included extensive questioning of the Council of Ministers, 15 motions and 10 budget amendments submitted by Members of Parliament.

GREAT BAY--Parliament adopted nine of 10 amendments to the 2026 national budget on Thursday, approving a series of reallocations covering tourism development, agriculture, sports, government staffing, legislative capacity, prison operations, waste management and social assistance.

WILLEMSTAD/GREAT BAY--The Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS) will enter a new leadership period on September 2, when Ference Lamp formally assumes the position of president-director of the monetary authority, according to reports in Curaçao media.

THE HAGUE / GREAT BAY--Updated guidelines governing applications for Dutch nationality in St. Maarten and Curaçao will take effect on November 1, 2026, with further clarification of what applicants must show when they are unable to obtain required official documents from their country of origin.

GREAT BAY--Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure, VROMI, Patrice Gumbs has argued that many of St. Maarten’s present infrastructure problems are the result of years of development occurring faster than the systems needed to support it, warning that the country can no longer measure progress simply by how much construction and economic activity it generates.

GREAT BAY-- Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure, VROMI, Patrice Gumbs has painted a concerning picture of two critical areas of the country’s public infrastructure, confirming that all three pieces of heavy equipment used at the landfill are currently out of service while the wastewater treatment system is also dealing with equipment failures and significant restoration needs.