How is a law made in the Netherlands?
When you live in the Netherlands, you quickly notice that laws affect your life. For example, about your asylum procedure, family reunification or work. But how are these laws made? And who decides about them? In this article you can read more about how laws are made in the Netherlands.
What are laws and who makes them?
Laws are rules set by the Dutch government that apply to everyone in the Netherlands. The government and parliament together make these laws.
The government consists of the King and ministers. The government is also called the Kingdom or the
Parliament consists of two parts: the
The House of Representatives has 150 members elected by the Dutch people in the elections to the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives has two duties: to check whether the government is doing its job properly and to contribute to legislation and devise adjustments to laws.
The Senate has 75 members. The members are not elected directly by the Dutch people, but through the
Bills are introduced in the House of Representatives
A bill is a document describing a new law. This proposal is submitted by ministers, secretaries of state, or members of the House of Representatives.
When ministers or
The RvS reviews whether the bill is enforceable and does not violate the
The House of Representatives debates and votes on the bill
The House of Representatives will discuss the bill during a debate. Then members of the Dutch parliament can ask questions of the minister and propose adjustments to the bill. These adjustments are called
After the debate, the members of parliament vote on the bill. If a majority votes against the bill then it will not be implemented. In this case, the minister concerned or the member of parliament who came up with the bill must amend it or drop it.
If a majority votes for the bill, the proposal will go to the Senate.
The Senate checks the bill
At the Senate, senators debate the proposal. They see if it is well put together and if it does not lead to problems. For example, because it violates the Dutch constitution.
The Senate may not amend the bill. The Senate can only approve or stop the bill.
If a majority votes against the proposal, then the proposal is rejected and does not become law. In this case, it is up to the minister or House of Representatives member who came up with the proposal to drop it, or amend the proposal and resubmit it.
If a majority of the Senate votes for it, the King signs the law. After the law enters the