Lamp nominated as new CBCS President, countries still have no formal agreement on Board Chairmanship

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. This according to media reports on Saturday.

Lamp was nominated by the Supervisory Board as the new CEO of the CBCS. The Board also nominated Candice Henriquez as financial and economic director and supported the reappointment of Director-Secretary Leila Matroos-Lasten. The nominations were made unanimously by the Supervisory Board and will now be jointly assessed by the Ministers of Finance of Curaçao and St. Maarten before the formal appointments are made.

However, despite progress on the Governing Council nominations, the two countries have still not reached agreement on the future interpretation of the chairmanship of the CBCS Supervisory Board. Until now, the appointment of a chairman has been based on loose understandings between the two Ministers of Finance over the years, but no formalized structure or binding arrangement appears to exist.

That unresolved issue remains one of the key points coming out of the summit. Dutch professor Jaap de Winter, who led the talks, has been asked to advise on possible models for the future chairmanship of the Supervisory Board.

The summit was attended by Curaçao Minister of Finance Charles Cooper, St. Maarten Minister of Finance Marinka Gumbs, Curaçao Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas, St. Maarten Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina, members of the CBCS Executive Board and members of the Supervisory Board.

The meeting followed previous disagreements between Curaçao and St. Maarten over appointments within the supervision of the central bank. According to the joint statement issued after the summit, both countries reaffirmed the importance of an independent central bank and a strong monetary union, which are considered essential for price stability, a stable exchange rate and broader economic resilience.

The summit appears to have eased some of the tensions that arose earlier this year, and for now, the single monetary union between Curaçao and St. Maarten will be maintained.

Still, several issues remain open. In addition to the unresolved chairmanship question, the countries agreed that further work is needed to strengthen mutual trust and ensure transparent procedures for appointments and supervision within the CBCS.

St. Maarten has also indicated that it wants to receive proposals for further strengthening the CBCS office on the island.

According to the joint statement, the agreements reached in Willemstad mark an important step toward more stable cooperation within the CBCS and the continued preservation of the monetary union.

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