Minister Explores 2Bays Area as Curaçao's Second Economic Pillar

Van den Tweel Supermarket in Willemstad, Curaçao, has concluded its World Cup-themed promotional campaign, 'Score for Fun 2026,' marking the end with a celebration of its winners. The campaign was run in partnership with Fun Miles, a local loyalty rewards program, and various other campaign partners. The grand prize awarded was a Toyota Agya 2026, which was presented to the top winner. The supermarket expressed pride in the campaign's execution and congratulated all participants who walked away with prizes. The promotion was tied to excitement surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup, leveraging the global sporting event to drive customer engagement. Van den Tweel is one of Curaçao's major supermarket chains, making this a high-visibility consumer campaign on the island.

The president of the SSK labor union federation in Curaçao, Wendell Muelen, is urging workers to personally approach their employers and request salary increases. His call comes in response to recent figures published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), which appear to indicate that wages are not keeping pace with economic conditions. Muelen's advice places the responsibility on individual workers to initiate salary negotiations rather than waiting for collective action. The SSK is the island's central union body, making Muelen's statement a significant signal to Curaçao's broader labor force. The appeal underscores ongoing concerns about purchasing power and cost-of-living pressures facing workers on the island. No specific CBS figures were detailed in the excerpt, but they are cited as the direct motivation behind the union leader's public statement.

Curaçao's Court of Appeals has once again annulled a construction permit for an apartment building on Kaya Panacea in Willemstad. The ruling confirms a lower court decision issued in 2024, meaning the appellate court found no grounds to overturn the original judgment. The case centers on a construction permit that was successfully challenged in the first instance court, and the developer or permit holder's appeal has now been rejected. The repeated invalidation of the permit signals a significant legal setback for whoever sought to build the apartments. While the specific grounds for the annulment have not been detailed in the excerpt, permit disputes in Curaçao often involve zoning, environmental concerns, or procedural irregularities. The decision reinforces the lower court's stance and leaves the construction project without legal authorization to proceed.