Kingdom of the Netherlands
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The Kingdom of the Netherlands is constituted by the Statute for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This document is applicable in every part of the Kingdom.
Each of the three constituent parts has its own constitution: the Constitution of the Netherlands (Grondwet van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden), the Constitution of the Netherlands Antilles (Staatsregeling van de Nederlandse Antillen), and the Constitution of Aruba (Staatsregeling van Aruba). Each of the three constituent parts also has its own administration and parliament. Together, they form a federation under a monarch as a single head of state. The institutions on the federal level are mostly institutions of the Netherlands, with or without overseas representation.
States
- The Netherlands is a decentralized unitary state administered by the Monarch and the council of ministers together. The people are represented by the Staten-generaal, which consists of a chamber of representatives and a chamber of senators. The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces: Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland and Zuid-Holland. The provinces are divided into communities.
- The Netherlands Antilles is a decentralized unitary state, with federal characteristics, with as administration the Monarch (represented by the governor) and the (Antillean) council of ministers together. The people are represented by the Staten of the Netherlands Antilles. The Netherlands Antilles is composed of five insular territories: Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten
- Aruba is a centralised unitary state with as administration the Monarch (represented by the governor) and the (Aruban) council of ministers together. The people are represented by the Staten of Aruba.
Future status
A joint commission has proposed major reforms for the Netherlands Antilles. On November 28, 2005, an agreement was signed between the Dutch government and the governments of each island that would put into effect the commission's findings by July 2007. Under these reforms, Curaçao and Sint Maarten will form a status aparte (therefore becoming two new countries inside the Kingdom of the Netherlands). Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius will become directly part of the Netherlands as Kingdom Islands (Koninkrijkseilanden). The Kingdom itself would get its own staff.Additionally, the Kingdom government would consist of the government of the Netherlands and one mandated minister per Caribbean country. The Kingdom Islands would be represented in the Kingdom Government by the Netherlands.
The Netherlands has proposed that the new EU constitution allows the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba to status of Outermost Region (OMR), also called Ultra Peripheral Region (UPR), if and when they wish.
Government
The Statute for the Kingdom of the Netherlands decides what is considered to be a kingdom-affair and constitutes organs that execute these affairs.Affairs
The affairs of the kingdom include:- Defence
- Foreign affairs
- Citizenship - There is a common Dutch nationality; sometimes there are discussions about changing the law such that Caribbean citizens staying in the European part can be restricted, or that they can be sent back, e.g. if they are criminal.
- Extradition
Administration
The King or Queen and the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom (Dutch: Rijksministerraad) together form the administration of the kingdom. The Council of Ministers of the Kingdom constitutes of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands (Dutch: Ministerraad) completed by two Authorized Ministers (Dutch: Gevolmachtigd minister) from both Islands.Laws applicable to the whole Kingdom are known as Kingdom Laws (Dutch: Rijkswetten). An example of such a law is the Kingdom Law regarding Dutch citizenship (Dutch: Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap).
The Dutch King or Queen is the head of state of the kingdom. Because the Dutch King or Queen resides in the Netherlands, two governors are appointed to represent him or her in both Island governments.
Legislature
The legislature of the kingdom consists of the parliament of the Netherlands and the administration of the kingdom together. Articles 14, 16 and 17 of the Statute give some participation to the parliaments of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.European Union
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a member of the European Union. However Antilles and Aruba are not considered part of the EU, but rather have the status of OCTs (overseas countries and territories; in Dutch LGO's, landen en gebiedsdelen overzee). Since citizenship is handled by the kingdom, and not distinguished for the three countries, citizens from all three countries are also EU citizens.Geography
The highest point is Mount Scenery (862 m) on the small island of Saba, Netherlands Antilles.
| component | population (July 2006 est.) | area (km²) | pop. dens. (per km²) | currency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aruba | 71,891 | 193 | 372
| Aruban Florin |
| Netherlands | 16,491,461 | 41,526 | 397
| euro |
| Netherlands Antilles | 221,736 | 960 | 231
| Netherlands Antilles Gulden |
| total | 16,785,088 | 42,679 | 393
|
See also
External links
- [The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands] (pdf)
- [Closing statement of the first Round Table Conference concerning the administrative reform of the kingdom]
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