The Council of Ministers ( nl, Ministerraad) is the executive council of

Dutch Government The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy, and a decentralised unitary state.''Civil service systems in Western Europe'' edited by A. J. G. M. Bekk ...

, formed by all the ministers including the deputy prime ministers. This executive council initiates laws and policy. The Council of Ministers is distinct from the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

which also includes state secretaries. State secretaries do not attend the Council of Ministers unless they are requested to do so and they do not have voting rights. The Council of Ministers meets every week on Friday in the Trêveszaal (English: Room of Treaties) of the

Binnenhof The Binnenhof (; en, Inner Court) is a complex of buildings in the city centre of The Hague, Netherlands, next to the Hofvijver lake. It houses the meeting place of both houses of the States General of the Netherlands, as well as the Ministry ...

. It makes decisions by means of collegiate governance. All ministers, including the Prime Minister, are (theoretically) equal. These meetings are chaired by the Prime Minister. Behind the closed doors of the Trêveszaal, ministers can freely debate proposed decisions and express their opinion on any aspect of cabinet policy. Once a decision is made by the Council, all individual members are bound by it and are obliged to support it publicly. Members of the cabinet will step down after not agreeing with a particular decision of the government. Generally much effort is put into reaching relative consensus on any decision. A process of voting within the Council does exist, but is hardly ever used. After each Council of Ministers, a press conference is held at the Nieuwspoort by the Prime Minister, or if he is travelling abroad or incapacitated the first

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

. Together with the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

, the Council of Ministers forms the Government, also known as the Crown, which makes all the major decisions. In practice the King does not participate in the daily decision-making of government, although he is kept up to date by weekly visits (on Monday) of the Prime Minister. The

Dutch Constitution The Constitution for the Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden) is one of two fundamental documents governing the Kingdom of the Netherlands as well as the fundamental law of the European territory of the ...

does not speak of cabinet, but instead only of the Council of Ministers and Government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Council Of Ministers Of The Netherlands Politics of the Netherlands

See also

References