On 23 May this year, the heads of 12 Latin American nations reached agreement establishing UNASUR - the Union of South American Nations. This is a significant development that could pave the way for further institutional reform in the region. UNASUR evolves from the South American Community, established by the Cuzco Declaration of 2004.
The Governing Body is behind on lots of issues in their own government program. The BC has not managed to present the document ‘Perception for the Land Curacao’ on July 2. The government program is still assuming that the new status of the Land Curacao is going to be realized this year.
During the Political Steering Committee of yesterday evening, Curacao and St. Maarten could not agree with the Netherlands on one important issue on the consensus statutory law Police: the joint police services.
In order to let the constitution work correctly, St. Maarten needs a procurator-general (PG) of her own. The person will have to be the judicial conscious of the people and see to it that each provision in the constitution is actually implemented, indicated main speaker Bob Wit during the first forum on the concept-constitution for the State of St. Maarten yesterday.
The Curacao Bar Association is concerned about the increasing degree in which “disputes in our multicultural society are not being solved in a rational and peaceful manner but rather in an aggressive, intolerant and irrational way”.
In anticipation of the Statutory Law Joint Court, the court and the registry are going over into one organization with an integrated administration, in which the executives of the Antillean and Aruban registries will take seat with the presiding judge and the coordinating judges of several islands, mentioned presiding judge Lisbeth Hoefdraad in the foreword of the 2007 annual report.
“The only stores that are allowed to sell original Timberland-products are the stores on Curacao who have a license to do so (Angelo’s, Timberland and Boolchand’s)” says Carine Jansch of VanEps Kunneman Van Doorne on behalf of her client in an add, “Shoes and clothing that are sold in other stores are fake. Anyone who imports, trades, sells or has in store fake Timberland-products risks to be prosecuted.”
(Source: National Newspaper Amigoe), June 28, 2008
On the last session-day of a dragging civil case that lasted year-and-a-half, the Isla suddenly comes with creative solutions for the future; solutions that may reduce the sulphur-dioxide-, and soot emission. Judge Rik van Unen was clearly dissatisfied that the Isla has not come up with this earlier and that the parties self have not tried to come with a solution.
The threat of the in New York established The Merritt Group with a lawsuit against TelEm Group of Companies was the most important subject in today’s Island Council meeting. Opposition party National Alliance (NA) requested the meeting.
The Isla uses meteorological information for their calculations, which lead to lower values and require fewer far-reached measures to comply with the sulphur dioxide standards, observed the Advisory Administrative Law Foundation (StAB-Stichting Advisering Bestuursrechtspraak) from The Hague in the so-called ‘expert report’, which was drawn up by order of the judge. This report was this morning at the forefront in the civil case of the Humanitarian Care foundation and inhabitants against the refinery.
Sabine Altena joined Spigthoff and started working in the Curacao office as of March 2008. She is part of Spigthoff’s fund & regulatory team. This team further consists of Maike Bergervoet and Karel Frielink.
Antillean- and Aruban Dutch citizens may vote for the European Parliament next year. The Lower House had a debate with state secretary Ank Bijleveld-Schouten (Kingdom Relations, CDA) this morning on the bill to give Antillean- and Aruban Dutch citizens voting rights for Europe. A vast majority in Parliament support this bill that will be voted on next week.
The European Committee is going to propose a new partnership for the countries and territories overseas of EU-country members, including the Neth.Antilles and Aruba. When the LGO-decision expires on December 31, 2013, this partnership must partly or totally replace the current regulation. The Committee organizes from July 1 till October 17 inclusive an online reference on this subject.
The severe increase in fuel prices and its effect on aviation. This is one of the subjects the Member of States will think about. This is the last week of meetings of parliament before the recess.
Aruba collaborated with the consensus statutory law for a joint court of justice for the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. Justice-minister Rudy Croes emphasizes that this is under the condition that there will be one judicial organization for the entire Kingdom on the long run. State secretary of Kingdom Relations, Ank Bijleveld-Schouten indicated yesterday that in a few weeks, there will be an accord on the assets of Plant NV.
No less than three attorneys of the Curacao and Aruba-based law firm VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne were sworn in at the Joint Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba this week.
The dragging lawsuit, in which the foundation Clean Environment in Curacao (Smoc) is trying to force the government to make the Isla-refinery comply with the licence under the Nuisance Act, continues tomorrow. Question is whether the case is out of date now that the BC has recently signed the Social Economic Initiative (SEI), in which she commits herself to ‘force or bring’ the Isla to comply with the standards.
This year, LATINLAWYER Magazine has launched pro bono rankings for firms in the region, to allow clients and competitors to compare firms' commitment to providing pro bono work.
LL published a ranking table of the top firms for pro bono commitment in the region, with the top 50 firms listed.
Glen Thodé and Jonathan Johnson are the new lt. governments in Bonaire and Saba. The Minister Council for the Kingdom approved the nominations today. Thodé succeeds Herbert Domacassé, whose term of office runs out on October 24 and Johnson replaces Sidney Sorton effective July 2.
Miami is getting an ever-bigger slice of Latin America’s legal work, agree the senior partners of six Florida-based international law firms.During a roundtable meeting with legal magazine LatinLawyer they discussed the developments and trends in the region.