Tag Archives: government
Why The Dutch Government No Longer Uses The Terms Allochtoon/Autochtoon Posted by Sten on Nov 25, 2016
Earlier this month, the Dutch Rijksoverheid (government) – or, more specifically, the Raad voor Regeringsbeleid (Council for Government Policy) and the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Central Office of Statistics) – decided to drop the use of the often used terms allochtoon and autochtoon. What do they mean? And why did the government decide to stop using them? And what do they use now instead?…
Women in the Military – Dutch Dienstplicht Posted by Sten on Aug 8, 2016
In the Dutch system, every boy receives a letter at the age of 17 that tells him that he is enrolled in the military dienstplicht (conscription), though this is not compulsory. Only in case of war, they will be drafted. So the boy does not have to follow actual military training. However, so far only boys…
After the Brexit, maybe a Nexit? Posted by Sten on Jun 27, 2016
The people of the United Kingdom have decided: they want to leave the European Union (EU). This is also referred to as the Brexit, a combination of Britain and exit. But what does this mean for other countries in Europe, what about the Netherlands? Will there be a Nexit? The Brexit Even though many outlets and…
Koninklijk Muntenhuis – Will It Stay? Posted by Sten on Feb 1, 2016
Every country has a currency, and so every country needs a place where that money is made. In the Netherlands, coins are made by a company called Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (KNM) or the Koninklijk Muntenhuis. Paper bills are made elsewhere. Despite this important role, the KNM might become superfluous very soon… So let’s have a closer look. Where does KNM come…
200 Years Dutch Staten-Generaal! Posted by Sten on Oct 10, 2015
2015 is a year of anniversaries! The celebrations for 200 years of Dutch Kingdom just ended. That started in 1815. And the province Drenthe turned 200 years old. It is also the year that the Dutch Staten-Generaal (States-General) turned 200 years old. What is this Staten-Generaal exactly? It is the word that refers to the Dutch Eerste Kamer (First Chamber…
Dutch Politics and Government: What is het poldermodel? Posted by noortje on Apr 19, 2010
Let’s discuss it. Let’s discuss it some more. And some more. And now let’s discuss the results. Maybe I exaggerate a little, but this is what we call ‘het poldermodel’, the economic political way of ruling based on discussion. After World War Two The Netherlands were taking in by the consultation system, in which the…
Political and Government Terms in Dutch Posted by sarah on Apr 1, 2010
In the last two posts we’ve talked about the basic structure of the government, and the different political parties (Part One, Part Two). In this post I’m going to give you some terminology that should be helpful if you want to pick up a Dutch newspaper, watch the news in Dutch, or read Dutch news…