Month: November 2022

From 15 to 17 November, a delegation from all islands belonging to the Kingdom of the Netherlands conducted business in Colombia, during the Caribbean2Colombia Mission.

Thanks to the joint work of the Colombian-Dutch Chamber of Commerce-Holland House Colombia, Stichting Beheer MKB fondsen and the Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Dutch Caribbean, a Caribbean2Colombia Mission was carried out in November. The main objective of the mission was to establish a relationship and connection between companies in the Dutch Caribbean and in Colombia, in search of the creation of business networks and commercial agreements. Participants were companies and entities from all 6 Caribbean islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba and St. Maarten. 

Expanding the market in both directions 

Within the welcome meeting, which took place at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bogotá, 7 companies and entities from the islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands confirmed their willingness to expand their market towards new horizons through bilateral trade. For Jan Willem van Bokhoven, director of the Chamber of Commerce-Holland House, geographical and cultural proximity is a fundamental pillar for trade, which generates that the islands and Colombia become crucial trading partners. Likewise, he affirmed that there is a lot of interest in strengthening and getting many more Colombian companies to arrive with their products to the Caribbean and use the islands as a commercial hub for the entire region.

As expected, the delegation was able to carry out commercial approaches with different relevant actors in the services, tourism and agriculture sectors during their visit to Bogota. The formal closing of the mission was on the 17th with the celebration of the Day of the Entrepreneur, an event that seeks to highlight the innovative ideas of all those businessmen and entrepreneurs of both Colombia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Air connection with Copa Airlines

Hemmie van Xanten, President of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry Statia and Saba, was among the participants: “I had the privilege to meet with several companies who provide fresh fruits and vegetables. Together with the Chamber of Commerce of St. Maarten we are investigating the possibility to bring these fresh products to our islands. Considering the currently difficult maritime connection between Colombia and The Windward Islands, Copa Airlines has been approached in order for them to fly goods to St. Maarten. From thereon, goods will find their way to Saba and Statia.

I also met with construction companies on Saba with regards to construction materials like prefab housing, sanitary products, ceramics, electrical goods and many other materials.”

The Chamber of Commerce will pass on the contact details of the various companies to relevant businesses on Saba and Statia so that they can directly get in contact with the Colombian suppliers. The Chamber is happy to facilitate and support the businesses by gathering and offering the necessary information to establish a fruitful trading relationship. 

If you have any questions or specific interest in the topic, please contact your local Chamber office. 

As of the 1^st of January 2023, the minimum wage and all benefits in the Caribbean Netherlands will increase. The Minister for Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions announced the concrete amounts on 28 November 2022. 

Minimum wage

The minimum wage will be increased by 18.2 per cent on Bonaire, 14.3 per cent on St. Eustatius and 15.0 per cent on Saba. For a working person aged 21 or older, at a 40-hour workweek, this amounts to a minimum income of $1,236 per month on Bonaire, $1,446 on St Eustatius and $1,434 on Saba. This means workers earning the minimum wage will gain about $180 to $190 per month. Click here for the full minimum wage table. 

Child benefit

All parents and caregivers will receive around $30 per child per month more child benefit in 2023. This will make the child benefit per child on Bonaire $131, on St Eustatius $128 and on Saba $129 per month. 

Old age pension (AOV)

Senior citizens will receive a higher old age pension (AOV) in 2023. This will increase by about 39 per cent on Bonaire, 23 per cent on St. Eustatius and 31 per cent on Saba. This means that a pensioner with full AOV accrual on Bonaire will receive $1,047 per month. On St. Eustatius and Saba, it is $1,113 and $1,175, respectively. This includes the so-called ‘duration allowance’ received by AOV recipients in the Windward Islands. This increase accelerates the AOV to the level of the benchmark social minimum. AOV beneficiaries on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba will gain $295, $151 and $204 per month respectively in 2023. For couples, this is double the amount.

Social relief

The concrete increase in the social relief level depends on the household situation. As of the 1^st of January 2023, the social relief for single persons living independently will be $413 per two weeks on Bonaire, $487 on Sint Eustatius and $483 on Saba. That is an increase of about 35 per cent, which will make singles gain about $110 to $120 per two weeks. For couples living independently, the social relief is $571 per two weeks on Bonaire, $668 on St. Eustatius and $662 on Saba. That is an increase of 36 per cent on average, giving couples around $160 to $170 more per two weeks in 2023. The basic social relief amount will be increased only by inflation and will come out at $216 on Bonaire, $254 on St. Eustatius and $252 on Saba.

Click here for an overview of the social benefit amounts in 2023 or visit www.rijksdienstcn.com for more information.