VI.

Government

The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. It is governed under an 1814 constitution, as amended, most recently in 1983. The Netherlands has universal suffrage for all citizens beginning at age 18.

A.

Executive

The head of state of The Netherlands is the hereditary monarch, who has had little power in running the government since the constitution was revised in 1848. The principal executive official of the country is the prime minister, who is appointed by the monarch and heads a cabinet that is responsible to the parliament, called the States-General.

B.

Legislature

The States-General consists of a First Chamber (Eerste Kamer), composed of 75 members elected to terms of four years by the provincial legislatures, and a Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer), made up of 150 members popularly elected to terms of up to four years under a system of proportional representation. The First Chamber is a deliberative body that is similar to the House of Lords in Britain. It can only approve or reject legislation; it may not initiate bills, nor can it change the text of a bill sent to it by the Second Chamber. The Second Chamber, which holds legislative power, is by far the more important of the two. Either or both chambers may be dissolved by the monarch on condition that new elections be held within 40 days.

C.

Judiciary

The judicial system of The Netherlands includes four main levels of courts. The highest tribunal is the Supreme Court (Hoge Raad), which sits in The Hague. The Supreme Court cannot rule on constitutional matters but can overturn rulings of lower courts. Other major judicial bodies are courts of appeal, district courts of justice, and canton courts.

The Dutch legal system is influenced by that of France. There are no jury trials. All cases are decided by judges, who are appointed for life by the monarch.

D.

Local Government

The Netherlands is made up of 12 provinces: Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Zuid-Holland, Utrecht, and Zeeland. The political identity of each province can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Today each is governed by a commissioner appointed by the monarch and a popularly elected legislature (Provincial States). The country is further divided into almost 500 municipalities, ranging from the largest city to the smallest village.

Mergers have reduced the number of municipalities to just over half the number they had reached in 1900, and very few municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants are left. Each municipality is governed by a popularly elected council and a burgemeester (mayor) appointed by the government. These lower levels of government have only limited taxing power and depend on the central government for most of their finances.

On the local level, water boards have an important function in water control, and they act with a high degree of independence. For many centuries, landowners—especially farmers—governed the boards. Since the 1990s, however, local voters have elected members of the boards.

E.

Political Parties

The Netherlands uses systems of proportional representation in electing municipal, provincial, and national assemblies. This allows even small political parties to win representation. In the 1994 Second Chamber elections, for example, 12 parties won seats. On the national level, The Netherlands has always been governed by coalitions of parties, the formation of which has often proved difficult.

The largest parties include the center-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA); the socialist-oriented Labor Party; the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), a liberal, business-oriented party; and Democrats 66, a relatively new party seeking greater direct citizens’ participation in the political system. Many of the smaller Dutch parties represent views on the far left or the far right.

F.

Social Services and Policy

The Dutch government administers one of Europe’s most comprehensive welfare states. Taxes and social security premiums together give the government command over nearly half the national income. Much of this revenue is spent on education, health, employment stimulation, and social welfare. To reduce persistent budget deficits, however, the government has trimmed social services in recent years. Participation in the health insurance system is compulsory for everyone earning less than a certain wage (about 70 percent of the population). The Dutch are also protected by unemployment benefits; sick pay; a guaranteed income for those physically unable to work; pensions for widows, orphans, and the elderly; minimum-wage regulations; and family allowances.

The Netherlands is renowned for its liberal approach to social policy. Prostitution, recently legalized, has been tolerated for nearly a century. In 1976 The Netherlands effectively decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana and cannabis-related substances.

In recent years The Netherlands has played a leading role in several other areas of social policy. In 2000 The Netherlands became the first country to allow homosexual couples to marry on the same legal terms as heterosexuals. The measure formalized marriage and divorce guidelines for same-sex unions and broadened adoption rights for homosexuals. In 2001 the Dutch parliament enacted legislation legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide. By passing the legislation, The Netherlands became the first nation to legalize the practices, which have been tolerated in the country for decades.

G.

Defense

The military defense of The Netherlands is secured by the participation of its army, navy, and air force in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Compulsory military service was abolished in 1996 in favor of a volunteer army. In 2004 the Dutch armed forces numbered 53,130.

H.

International Organizations

The Netherlands has long advocated European integration and international cooperation. Consequently, it joined the Council of Europe in 1949; the European Community (now called the European Union) in 1957; the Benelux Economic Union, which links the country with Belgium and Luxembourg, in 1960; and other European organizations. It is also a charter member of the United Nations and is a major contributor to programs furthering the economic development of poor countries. The Netherlands is a founding member of both NATO and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In 2002 a permanent International Court of Justice was established in The Hague.