introduction to nl and dutch public sector
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Introduction to the Netherlands and the Dutch public sector
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Kingdom of The Netherlands
Constitutional Monarchy King Head of State Constitution Kingdom:
• The Netherlands, including municipalities of Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba on Netherlands Antilles
• Countries: Aruba, Curacao and St Maarten on Netherlands Antilles
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Role of King Willem-Alexander Head of State Signs laws with the responsible minister (ceremonial
function)
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Basis of Dutch Democracy
TRIAS POLITICA (absolute separation of powers Government governs Parliament verifies Judges are independent
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Representative Democracy
Dutch vote for the parliament, the provincial council, the municipal council and the European Parliament
Each party gets the number of seats that corresponds to its share of the votes received
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Major Dutch Political Parties
Name Seats in House of Representatives
Liberal Party 41 -----------------------Labour Party 38 -----------------------Party for Freedom 15Socialist Party 15Christian Democrats 13Liberal Democrats 12Small parties (5) 16
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Dutch public law
National government, provinces and municipalities all have their own responsibilities and sphere of influence
Pressure groups can oppose bylegal action, lobbying and media attention
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Decentralised unitary state
3 major principles: Autonomy: municipalities have their own
regulations Shared governance: national regulations
give opportunity to implement specific measures at the local level
Unity of policy: local authorities can’t oppose national policy
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Government system
4 tiers + 1:
Central government Provincial government Waterboards Municipalities + European Union
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Government system
Three branches of government: Legislative: Second (150) and First Chamber (75) (House of Representatives and Senate) Executive: Cabinet of ministers and Prime Minister (11
Ministries) Judicial: Supreme Court appointed by the Crown,
Divisionary Courts
State institutions Council of State National Court of Audit National Ombudsman
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Dutch government
11 ministries: 109,000 employees 147 autonomous administrative
authorities: 39,000 employees
12 provinces: 11,000 employees 390 municipalities: 155,000 employees
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Political responsibility
A minister is responsible for the formulation and implementation of public policy
Which refers to the actions and measures of his department and its executing authorities
But not to the actions of autonomous administrative authorities (for example Employee Insurance Agency, Agency for Asylum Seekers)
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12 Dutch provinces
Legislative- Elected representatives at the Provincial State- Every four years elections- Provincial States elect the Senate
Executive- King´s Commissioner (appointed by the Crown)- Deputies (selected by the coalition)
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Dutch provinces
Main Tasks Responsible for regional development, environment
and public transport (tenders) Overseeing policy and finances of municipalities and
waterboards
Finances They can impose taxes (limited) Their revenues come from national government and
EU funds, but not from municipalities
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Threats to Dutch provinces
Less democratic legitimacy: provincial elections attract less voters (no social economic issues)
Undermining of power position: the rise of city regions (cooperation between municipalities, for example Rotterdam-The Hague)
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Dutch municipalities
Legislative- Elected representatives- Every four years elections
Executive- Mayor (appointed by the Crown)- Alderman (selected by the coalition)
03-05-2023
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Dutch municipalities
Merging of small municipalities into large ones (1975: 842, now: 390)
Average size: 37,000 people
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Dutch municipalities: finances
- The total budget of all Dutch municipalities: approx. 50 billion EURO
For 80-85% financed by national government For the execution of tasks resulting from
national policy, municipalities are mostly compensated by contributions from national funds:• Ear-marked funds• General grant
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Dutch municipalities: finances
- Ear-marked funds, these funds cannot be reallocated: social services, primary education and urban regeneration
General grant, the municipal council is free to decide on its precise allocation. To ensure equal level of services with an equal level of local taxes/charges for all municipalities.
Local taxes: property, dog ownership, tourists, land, administrative fees and charges
Various: municipal property, European subsidies
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Revenue sources of municipalities
03-05-2023
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Comparison major cities and ministries
Amount of employees:
Municipality of Amsterdam: 13,000 Municipality of Rotterdam: 13,000 Ministry of the Interior: 7,000 Ministry of Justice: 30,000 Ministry of Finance: 1,640 (without TO) Tax Office: 32,000
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Checks and balances on four levels
European law stands above Dutch law Central Dutch government can suspend
decisions by a municipality Local plans, which regulate how the land in
each particular area may be used and what may be built there, must be consistent with provincial structure plans
A municipality’s budget must be approved by the provincial authorities
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Relations between the 3 tiers
No hierarchy between the 3 levels of government Hierarchy in laws (central laws precede over provincial and local edicts) Principle of decentralisation of tasks to local level
unless impossible Limited taxes at local level, most of funds received
through general funding by central government
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Relations between the 3 tiers
In practice: Distrust at central level in execution General funding accounts for 80-85% of
budget for municipalities Decentralisation of tasks, yes. But with
extensive accounting and checks from central government
Code for interadministrative relations
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