Public body (Netherlands)
Encyclopedia
In the Netherlands
, the term public body (a literal translation from the Dutch
term "openbaar lichaam") is the general denomination for administrative division
s within the Dutch state, such as the central government, a province
, a municipality
or a water board
. These types of political entities are defined by the Dutch constitution.
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 ) 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. Notable examples of administrative divisions merely denoted as "public bodies" include:
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 . Examples of such bodies include:
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
, the term public body (a literal translation from the Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
term "openbaar lichaam") is the general denomination for administrative division
Administrative division
An administrative division, subnational entity, or country subdivision is a portion of a country or other political division, established for the purpose of government. Administrative divisions are each granted a certain degree of autonomy, and are required to manage themselves through their own...
s within the Dutch state, such as the central government, a province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
, a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
or a water board
Water board
A water board is a regional organisation that has very different functions from one country to another, ranging from flood control, water resources management, water charging and financing, and bulk water supply.-Philippines:The...
. These types of political entities are defined by the Dutch constitution.
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 ) 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. Notable examples of administrative divisions merely denoted as "public bodies" include:
- The Caribbean public bodies (often referred to as "special municipalities", not part of any provinceProvinces of the NetherlandsA Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the local municipalities, having the responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance. The government of each province consists of three major parts: the Provinciale Staten which is the...
) of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (2010–present) - The public body RijnmondRijnmondRijnmond is an official region of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It refers to the city of Rotterdam and its surrounding suburbs and municipalities...
(1964–1986)
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 . Examples of such bodies include:
- Plus regions/city regions : Organisations of urbanised regions, e.g. the plus regions "stadsregio Amsterdam", "stadsregio Rotterdam", "Samenwerkingsverband Regio EindhovenSamenwerkingsverband Regio EindhovenThe Samenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven is a regional governmental agency for the city region of Eindhoven in The Netherlands . The SRE comprises 21 municipalities in the Eindhoven agglomeration, with a total area of 1,457.81 square kilometers...
", "Parkstad LimburgParkstad LimburgParkstad Limburg is a collaboration between seven municipalities . They work together to improve public services, transport and housing on a regional level...
" and "Stadsregio Arnhem Nijmegen". - Safety regions : Organisations coordinating disaster management, fire fighting etc.
- Social services organisations covering several municipalities.