In the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, the term public body (a literal translation from the
Dutch term ''openbaar lichaam'') is the general denomination for
administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
s within the Dutch state, such as the central government, a
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
, a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
or a
water board. These types of political entities are defined by the
Constitution of the Netherlands.
In addition, Article 134 of the constitution provides for the definition of other public bodies by law.
Such bodies can be professionally oriented, like the ''Dutch Order of Advocates'' ( nl, Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten), or be constituted to perform functions in a specific region. This means that the term public body is sometimes used to indicate a special or irregular type of public body (without a specifically defined name), which can also be an administrative division or a certain other type of governmental organisation.
Caribbean Netherlands
The three islands
Bonaire
Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west ( leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC ...
,
Sint Eustatius, and
Saba became public bodies of the Netherlands proper on 10 October 2010, but are not part of any province. Since 2017 they are public bodies of a special constitutional category, ''Caribbean public bodies''. Collectively they are officially known as
Caribbean Netherlands ( nl, Caribisch Nederland). Although part of the Netherlands, these special municipalities (as they are also called) remained
overseas territories
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...
of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
until 2015.
In the absence of a King's Commissioner the Islands have a joint "Kingdom Representative" and so the official Dutch translation for the ''Rijksvertegenwoordiger voor de openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba'', who has an office on each of the Islands. In 2011, Wilbert Stolte, a member of the conservative
CDA party and former municipal politician in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
, was appointed to hold this office for six years.
Other examples
Another notable example of an administrative division merely denoted as "public body" is
Rijnmond ( nl, openbaar lichaam Rijnmond), which existed from 1964 to 1986. Also, before the establishment of the
Province of Flevoland, the newly reclaimed polders were under the jurisdiction of the "Public Body Southern IJsselmeerpolders" (''Openbaar Lichaam Zuidelijke IJsselmeerpolders'', also abbreviated as OL ZIJP).
On a regional level, municipalities, provinces, water boards and the Caribbean public bodies can constitute internal or umbrella public bodies, as defined by the ''law on common arrangements'' ( nl, wet gemeenschappelijke regelingen). Examples of such bodies include:
* Plus regions/city regions ( nl, Plusregio's/stadsregio's): Organisations of urbanised regions, e.g. the plus regions "
Samenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven", "
Parkstad Limburg".
* Safety regions ( nl, veiligheidsregio's): Organisations coordinating disaster management, fire fighting etc.
* Social services organisations covering several municipalities.
See also
*
Administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
*
Statutory corporation
A statutory corporation is a government entity created as a statutory body by statute. Their precise nature varies by jurisdiction, thus, they are statutes owned by a government or controlled by national or sub-national government to the (in ...
*
Sui generis
''Sui generis'' ( , ) is a Latin phrase that means "of its/their own kind", "in a class by itself", therefore "unique".
A number of disciplines use the term to refer to unique entities. These include:
* Biology, for species that do not fit in ...
– a
common law
In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omniprese ...
idea that is analogous to parts of this concept
References
{{Special municipalities of the Netherlands
Caribbean special municipalities of the Netherlands
Government bodies
Subdivisions of the Netherlands
Types of administrative division