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The Netherlands

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Netherlands Image File history File links Current_event_marker. ... Motto: Je Maintiendrai (Dutch: Ik zal handhaven, English: I Shall Uphold) Anthem: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe Capital Amsterdam1 Largest city Amsterdam Official language(s) Dutch2 Government Parliamentary democracy Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Beatrix  - Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende Independence Eighty Years War   - Declared July 26, 1581   - Recognised January 30, 1648 (by Spain... Image File history File links Coat_of_arms_of_the_Netherlands. ... The Politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy and a constitutional monarchy. ...

Kingdom of the Netherlands Constitution Monarchy Queen Beatrix Cabinet (list) Present cabinet Coalition: CDA, PvdA, CU Prime Minister (list) Jan Peter Balkenende Parliament First Chamber (list) Second Chamber (list) Political parties Politicians Elections: 2nd Chamber: 2006 1st Chamber: 2007 Council of State Supreme Court Provinces Municipalities EU Politics Foreign relations Terminology

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The fourth Balkenende cabinet or Balkenende IV is the current Dutch coalition cabinet. It was installed by Queen Beatrix on February 22, 2007. It has succeeded the third Balkenende cabinet. The cabinet is named after its Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende. The Netherlands have been an independent monarchy since March 16, 1815, and have been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since. ... Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (born as Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses der Nederlanden, Prinses van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses van Lippe-Biesterfeld) (born January 31, 1938) has been the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since April 30, 1980. ... The cabinet of the Netherlands or council of ministers plans and implements government policy. ... This is a list of cabinets of the Netherlands Note: first party mentioned provided prime minister. ... The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (Dutch: Christen Democratisch Appèl) is a Dutch Christian-democratic political party. ... The Labour Party (in Dutch: Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA) is a Dutch social-democratic political party. ... The ChristianUnion (in Dutch: ChristenUnie, CU) is a relatively young Dutch orthodox Protestant political party. ... The prime minister of the Netherlands is the head of the cabinet, and, as such, coordinates the policy of the government. ... 3 November 1877: Jan Kappeyne van de Coppello (liberal) 19 August 1879: Theo graaf van Lynden van Sandenburg (conservative-protestant) 22 April 1883: Jan Heemskerk Abrahamzoon (conservative) 20 April 1888: Aeneas baron Mackay (ARP) 21 August 1891: Gijsbert van Tienhoven (liberal) 8 May 1894: Joan Röell (old liberal) 26... Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende   (born on 7 May 1956), has served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands since 22 July 2002. ... The Estates-General (Staten-Generaal) is the parliament of the Netherlands. ... The Eerste Kamer (literally First Chamber in Dutch) is the Upper House or Senate of the Netherlands parliament, the States-General. ... The Historic composition of the Eerste Kamer gives an overview of the composition of the Higher House of the Dutch parliament. ... The Tweede Kamer (second chamber) is the lower house of the Staten-Generaal, the parliament in the Netherlands. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Template:List of cabinets of the Netherlands. ... This article lists political parties in the Netherlands. ... Elections in the Netherlands gives information on election and election results in the Netherlands. ... Dutch Tweede Kamer seats as of 2006 The 2006 Dutch general elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday, November 22, 2006, and followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet. ... Provincial elections will be held in the Netherlands on March 7, 2007. ... In the Netherlands, the Council of State is a constitutionally established advisory body to the government which consists of members of the royal family and Crown-appointed members generally having political, commercial, diplomatic, or military experience. ... Hoge Raad der Nederlanden is the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, situated in The Hague. ... The modern day Netherlands are divided into twelve provinces (provincies in Dutch), listed below with their capital city: Map of the Netherlands, with provinces and capital cities See also the ranked list of Dutch provinces // Structure A Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the... All provinces of the Netherlands are divided into municipalities (gemeenten), together 458 (2006); among these we can distinguish: those comprising one main city, town or village with the same name as the municipality, and possibly some additional villages; for example Utrecht, comprising the city Utrecht and the villages De Meern... The European Union or EU is a supranational and international organization of 27 member states. ... The Netherlands abandoned its traditional policy of neutrality after World War II. The Dutch have since become engaged participants in international affairs. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... A coalition is an alliance among entities, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest. ... A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... The Netherlands have been an independent monarchy since March 16, 1815, and have been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since. ... Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (born as Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses der Nederlanden, Prinses van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses van Lippe-Biesterfeld) (born January 31, 1938) has been the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since April 30, 1980. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende has been in office in the Netherlands from May 27, 2003. ... The prime minister of the Netherlands is the head of the cabinet, and, as such, coordinates the policy of the government. ... Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende   (born on 7 May 1956), has served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands since 22 July 2002. ...

Formation

Main articles: Dutch general election, 2006 and 2006–2007 Dutch cabinet formation

The coalition cabinet Balkenende II collapsed on June 29, 2006 after the political party Democrats 66 (D66) had withdrawn their support for the coalition. The political parties Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) formed the minority cabinet Balkenende III which was installed on July 7, 2006, and early general elections were held on November 22, 2006. After the elections the Christian Democratic Appeal remained the largest party. The Socialist Party (SP), the Party for Freedom (PVV), the ChristianUnion (CU), and the Party for the Animals (PvdD), were the winners of the elections. Dutch Tweede Kamer seats as of 2006 The 2006 Dutch general elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday, November 22, 2006, and followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet. ... Following the 2006 general election, held on November 22, a process of cabinet formation has started. ... A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet in parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. ... The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands formed on May 27, 2003. ... The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands formed on May 27, 2003. ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Democrats 66 (in Dutch: Democraten 66, D66, official name: Politieke Partij Democraten 66) is a Dutch progressive-liberal and radical-democratic political party. ... The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (Dutch: Christen Democratisch Appèl) is a Dutch Christian-democratic political party. ... The Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) (Dutch: Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) is a Dutch liberal political party. ... For minority régime, see Apartheid. ... The Third Balkenende cabinet is the current cabinet of the Netherlands. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Dutch Tweede Kamer seats as of 2006 The 2006 Dutch general elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday, November 22, 2006, and followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet. ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Socialist Party (SP, Dutch: Socialistische Partij) is a Dutch socialist political party. ... The Party for Freedom (Dutch: , PVV) is a Dutch conservative political party. ... The ChristianUnion (in Dutch: ChristenUnie, CU) is a relatively young Dutch orthodox Protestant political party. ... The Party for the Animals (Partij voor de Dieren) is a political party in the Netherlands without parliamentary representation. ...

Beatrix of the Netherlands appointed Rein Jan Hoekstra as informateur. He explored the possibilities for the different three party coalitions, since no two parties could form a majority in the Tweede Kamer together. This resulted in a coalition of the Christian Democratic Appeal, the Labour Party (PvdA), and the ChristianUnion. Together these three parties will have a majority of 79 seats out of 150 seats in the Tweede Kamer. In the second information round Herman Wijffels was the informateur to negotiate between the Jan Peter Balkenende (CDA), Wouter Bos (PvdA), and André Rouvoet (CU) to reach a coalition agreement. The motto of the agreement they reached on February 7, 2007 was "Living together, working together". Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (born as Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses der Nederlanden, Prinses van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses van Lippe-Biesterfeld) (born January 31, 1938) has been the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since April 30, 1980. ... Rein Jan Hoekstra was born in 1941 in Dokkum. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... The Tweede Kamer (second chamber) is the lower house of the Staten-Generaal, the parliament in the Netherlands. ... The Labour Party (in Dutch: Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA) is a Dutch social-democratic political party. ... The ChristianUnion (in Dutch: ChristenUnie, CU) is a relatively young Dutch orthodox Protestant political party. ... H.H.F. (Herman) Wijffels (IJzendijke, March 13, 1942) is a Dutch economist and politician for the CDA. From 1981 to 1999 he worked for the Rabobank ultimately as chairman of the board of directors and from March 15, 1999 until April 1, 2006, he was chairman of the Social... Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende   (born on 7 May 1956), has served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands since 22 July 2002. ... Drs. ... André Rouvoet is the political leader of the ChristenUnie, a Dutch political party. ... February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ...

The appointment of Jan Peter Balkenende as formateur by the queen on February 9, 2007 was the start of the cabinet formation.^[1] Four days later on February 13 a preliminary composition of the cabinet was announced.^[2] Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende   (born on 7 May 1956), has served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands since 22 July 2002. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... Following the 2006 general election, held on November 22, a process of cabinet formation has started. ... February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

On February 22 the cabinet members were sworn in by Queen Beatrix. February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Netherlands have been an independent monarchy since March 16, 1815, and have been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since. ... Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (born as Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses der Nederlanden, Prinses van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses van Lippe-Biesterfeld) (born January 31, 1938) has been the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since April 30, 1980. ...

Composition

The cabinet consists of 16 ministers and 11 junior ministers (staatssecretaris). These positions are divided among the coalition members according to their size in parliament: CDA supplies 8 ministers and 4 junior ministers, PvdA 6 ministers and 6 junior ministers, and ChristianUnion supplies 2 ministers and 1 junior minister. A minister or a secretary is a politician who heads a government ministry or department (e. ... The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (Dutch: Christen Democratisch Appèl) is a Dutch Christian-democratic political party. ... For the Belgian political party of the same name, see Partij van de Arbeid (Belgium). ... The ChristianUnion (in Dutch: ChristenUnie, CU) is a relatively young Dutch orthodox Protestant political party. ...

Source: Volkskrant profiles of all ministers and ministers and state secretaries on the official RVD site on the cabinet formation The prime minister of the Netherlands is the head of the cabinet, and, as such, coordinates the policy of the government. ... The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is also the political head of the Ministry of General Affairs (Ministerie van Algemene Zaken). With only about 400 employees this ministry is by far the smallest ministry in the Netherlands. ... Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende   (born on 7 May 1956), has served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands since 22 July 2002. ... The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (Dutch: Christen Democratisch Appèl) is a Dutch Christian-democratic political party. ... Drs. ... For the Belgian political party of the same name, see Partij van de Arbeid (Belgium). ... A Minister without Portfolio is a government minister with no specific responsibilities. ... The Ministry of Public Health, Wellbeing and Sports (Dutch: Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport; VWS) is the public health authority of the Netherlands. ... André Rouvoet is the political leader of the ChristenUnie, a Dutch political party. ... The ChristianUnion (in Dutch: ChristenUnie, CU) is a relatively young Dutch orthodox Protestant political party. ... Maxime Jacques Marcel Verhagen (Maastricht, 14 September 1956) is a Dutch politician. ... Ernst Maurits Henricus Hirsch Ballin (born Amsterdam, December 15, 1950) is a Dutch politician, Minister of Justice during the third Lubbers cabinet (1989-1994), and successor of Piet Hein Donner as justice minister in the third Balkenende cabinet (2006). ... Camiel Eurlings (born 16 September 1973 in Valkenburg-Houthem) is a Dutch politician and Member of the European Parliament. ... Maria van der Hoeven (born September 13, 1949 in Meerssen) is a Dutch CDA politician and the current Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands. ... Jan Pieter Hendrik Donner (born 20 October 1948 in Amsterdam) was Dutch Minister of Justice in the third Balkenende cabinet as member of the Dutch Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). ... The Ministry of Public Health, Wellbeing and Sports (Dutch: Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport; VWS) is the public health authority of the Netherlands. ... ... ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... A defence minister (Commonwealth English) or defense minister (American English) is a cabinet portfolio (position) which regulates the armed forces in a sovereign nation. ... Ahmed Aboutaleb (born August 29, 1961) is a Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) politician. ... The Ministry of Public Health, Wellbeing and Sports (Dutch: Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport; VWS) is the public health authority of the Netherlands. ...

Policy

The coalition agreement titled "Living together, working together" was presented on February 7 in a press conference by Balkenende, Bos, Rouvoet. It is structured into six commitments of the new cabinet.^{[4] [5]} If a proposal was included in a party's electoral manifesto, this is mentioned as well: February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

• An active and constructive role in the world, which is characterized by these policies:
  • Continued investments into the Joint Strike Fighter (as the CDA proposed).
  • The new cabinet is not in favour of a new referendum on the European Constitution, which was voted down in 2005, but will consider new initiatives (both the CDA and CU opposed the referendum initially).

• An innovative, competitive and enterpeneurial economy, which is characterized by these policies:
  • 1 billion increased spending on education (as all parties proposed).
  • Privatization of Schiphol airport is shelved (as the CU and the PvdA proposed).

• A durable environment, which is characterized by these policies:
  • 800 million euros additional spending on renewable energy (as both the PvdA and the CU proposed).
  • Pollution will be taxed more heavily (as both the PvdA and the CU proposed).
  • A tax on airline tickets totalling 350 million euros (as all parties proposed).
  • No new investments in nuclear energy (as the CU and the PvdA proposed).

• Social cohesion, which is characterized by these policies:
  • A reform of the system of basic state pensions: people who have private pensions of 15,000 euros and higher and who stop working before the age of 65 will pay an additional tax as of 2011. People who work beyond 65 receive tax breaks. This measure should guarantee an affordable basic state pension (AOW) despite trends in population ageing (a compromise between the PvdA, which wanted to tax all rich elderly and the CDA which wanted incentives to make people work longer).
  • Public social housing will not be liberalised, rent rates may be raised only in line with inflation (as the PvdA proposed).
  • The tax deduction on mortgage interest payments remains unchanged (as the CDA proposed).
  • Investments in problem areas in the large cities to make them "beautiful neighbourhoods" (as the PvdA proposed).
  • Re-implementation of the subsidized jobs-scheme for the unemployed (as the PvdA proposed).
  • Childcare spending totalling 700 million euros (free child care was a PvdA election promise and opposed by CDA).

• Safety, stability and respect, which is characterized by these policies:
  • Reduction of all crimes by 25%.
  • A ban on burqas and other face covering clothing for security reasons (as the CDA proposed).

• Government and servile public sector^[6]
  • In response to opposition to extravagant wages earned by some top civil servants, sometimes 5 times that of the prime minister, his (The PM's) income will be set as the maximum wage for anyone in the government or civil service.
  • Cutting the number of civil servants to save 750 million euros.
  • Women seeking an abortion are to expect an additional waiting period between first consultation and actual procedure on top of the already mandatory 5 days waiting period (as the CU proposed).
  • Minor reforms of the health care-system, including the abolishment of the no claim and the re-inclusion of dental care into the basic insurance.
  • Increased taxation on cigarettes and liquor, smoke-free bars and restaurants by 2011.
  • A general pardon for asylum seekers who entered the Netherlands before the new Asylum Law came into affect (as both the CU and the PvdA proposed).
  • The coalition wants to have a budget surplus of 1% of the GDP by 2011 with a projected 2% annual economic growth (as all parties proposed).

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is a fighter plane currently in early development by Lockheed Martin (with partners Northrop Grumman and BAE SYSTEMS.) The primary customers are the United States armed forces and the United Kingdom (RN and RAF), but the Netherlands... The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, commonly referred to as the European Constitution, is an international treaty intended to create a constitution for the European Union. ... On 1 June 2005 a consultative referendum was held in the Netherlands to ask whether the country should ratify the proposed Constitution of the European Union. ... Privatization (alternately denationalization or disinvestment) is the transfer of property or responsibility from the public sector (government) to the private sector (business). ... Schiphol (IATA: AMS, ICAO: EHAM) (municipality Haarlemmermeer) is the Netherlands main airport. ... World renewable energy in 2005 (except 2004 data for items marked* or **). Enlarge image to read exclusions. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Nuclear reaction. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... In demographics, population ageing or population aging (see English spelling differences) occurs when the median age of a country or region rises. ... A local authority tower block in Cwmbrân, South Wales Public housing or project homes is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ... An 1837 political cartoon about unemployment in the United States. ... Childcare is the act of caring for and supervising minor children. ... Woman in an Afghan burqa A burqa (also burkha, burka or burqua) (Arabic: برقعة, burqʿah) is an all-enveloping outer garment worn by most women in Afghanistan, and some in Pakistan, and northern India. ... Health care or healthcare is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical, nursing, and allied health professions. ... A lit cigarette will burn to ash from one end. ... Spirits redirects here. ...

References