POINTE BLANCHE:---  The Port St. Maarten Group (PSG) and Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) convened a high-level think tank session on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, aimed at strengthening collaboration between St. Maarten’s two primary gateways.
The session, led by PSG Chief Executive Officer Alexander Gumbs and PJIA Chief Executive Officer Michael Cleaver, focused on identifying joint opportunities to enhance the island’s long-term competitiveness, elevate the visitor experience, and maximize positive community impact.
During the meeting, both organizations reaffirmed their commitment to operating as aligned partners, positioning the port and airport as a unified entry system and a powerful driver of national development. This collaborative approach reflects a shared vision of ensuring that St. Maarten’s gateway infrastructure evolves in a coordinated and forward-looking manner to support sustainable growth.
Discussions resulted in agreement on four key areas of collaboration. The first is strategy alignment and long-term planning, with an emphasis on synchronizing future development plans to ensure complementarity. This includes aligning upcoming infrastructure concepts, coordinating design initiatives that influence passenger movement across the island, and taking future ventures such as homeporting into account. A shared strategic framework will help ensure that decisions made at either gateway support St. Maarten’s broader national vision.
The second focus area is commercial and promotional initiatives, aimed at strengthening the island’s commercial footprint through co-branded representation and future promotional concepts that enhance destination visibility. These efforts will also extend to community-driven initiatives that reinforce St. Maarten’s brand and economic vitality.
Additionally, events and community engagement emerged as a key pillar, with both entities committing to expanding community-centered programs for groups such as youth and seniors, supporting cultural events, and exploring innovative concepts that highlight St. Maarten as a premier destination.
The further development of mentorship programs was also discussed, recognizing the importance of nurturing local talent as a foundation for long-term growth, continuity, and national development.
The fourth area of collaboration centers on development and guest experience enhancements, with a focus on improving the overall visitor journey. Collaborative approaches to infrastructure planning, public-facing spaces, and future commercial zones were explored as means to elevate both customer satisfaction and community experience.
In conclusion, PSG and PJIA underscored that joining forces is a necessary step to move both their businesses and the destination forward. Beyond commercial objectives, both organizations emphasized that their combined efforts must also deliver meaningful benefits to the community, reinforcing their shared responsibility as stewards of St. Maarten’s growth and future.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Urgent Public meeting no. 05 of the Parliament of Sint Maarten, which was scheduled to be held today, Thursday, December 18, 2025, at 11.00hrs. with agenda point:
Deliberations on the issues surrounding the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten
a) The recent nomination of the Chairman of the CBCS by the Council of Ministers
b) An update on the ENNIA situation
c) Developments concerning Mullet Bay (IS/092/2025-2026 dated September 22, 2025)

This meeting was requested by MP E.J. Doran, MP A.M.R. Irion, MP D.T.J. York, MP O.E.C. Ottley and MP F.A. Lacroes.
Has been postponed until further notice.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in a Public meeting on December 18, 2025.

The Public meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 11.00 hrs. in the Legislative Hall at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda points are:

1. Incoming documents
2. Ratification of the founding document of the Parliamentary Alliance for Climate Action (IS/1219/2024-2025 dated June 30, 2025)

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. All persons visiting the House of Parliament must adhere to the house rules.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on TV 15, Soualiga Headlines, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.sx and www.youtube.com/c/SintMaartenParliament

PHILIPSBURG:--- On 12 December 2025, the Court of First Instance ruled in favor of the Minister of Justice, affirming the lawful and proper application of the early conditional release framework under the Criminal Code.
The ruling follows a case brought by a detainee who objected to the refusal of early conditional release, despite being included in an internal assessment related to the management of limited detention capacity.
In its judgment, the Court confirmed that detainees do not have an individual or enforceable right to early conditional release. As a general rule, convicted persons are required to serve their sentence until the normal moment of conditional release, unless the Minister determines that proven and exceptional pressure on detention capacity justifies the application of Article 1:37 of the Criminal Code.
The Court held that the Minister reasonably arrived at her decision and that the refusal was carefully, transparently, and adequately reasoned. The decision was based, among other considerations, on advice from the Central Probation Board (CCR) and an assessment of the detainee’s conduct during detention.
Furthermore, the Court determined that the Minister did not act in violation of the principle of equality, meaning that all detainees are assessed using the same standards, and that no element of arbitrariness was present. The Court made clear that comparisons with individual cases do not create a legal right to early conditional release.
With this ruling, the Court confirms that the Minister of Justice has correctly interpreted and lawfully applied the early conditional release mechanism as codified in the Criminal Code. This judgment is consistent with the earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal, which also confirmed that early conditional release is not a right but an exceptional measure. It reinforces that these decisions are taken carefully, equally, and strictly within the framework of the law.
The Court further clarified that Article 1:37 of the Criminal Code is clear, complete, and directly applicable in its current form, without the need for additional policy rules, provided that each decision is assessed on an individual basis and properly substantiated.