The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy with a population of around 17 million people. It has a multiparty system where the prime minister is usually from the party that wins the most seats. The king is the head of state but has a largely ceremonial role, while the prime minister is the head of government. The economy focuses heavily on agriculture, with the country being one of the world's largest exporters of food. The national debt remains below the EU limit of 60% of GDP.

1. Netherlands
a SMALL YET PROGRESSIVE COUNTRY

2. Population
Capital
Government
Language
Religion
17,650,000 (2022 est.)
Amsterdam
Monarch and Cabinet
Dutch, Fristian
Catholic, Protestant

3. Currency
Exchange Rate
Monetary Value
Total Area
(Sq Km)
Total Area
(Sq Mi)
Population Rank
1 USD equals 1.004 euro
Euro (€)
41,543
16,040
68 (2021)

4. Population Projection
2030
Density: PE
Total Area
(Sq Km)
Total Area
(Sq Mi)
18,418,000
Euro (€)
41,543
16,040

5. Urban-Rural Population
Life Expentancy
At Birth
2018
Urban: 91.5%
Rural: 8.5%
2019
Male: 79.4 years
Female: 84 years

6. POLITICAL
SYSTEM OF
NETHERLANDS
C O M P A R A T I V E G O V E R N M E N T
A N D P O L I T I C S

7. ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
The King and the ministers together make up the Government
of the Netherlands. The ministers and state secretaries are
responsible for the day-to-day business of government. On 10
January 2022 the fourth government led by Mark Rutte took
office.
Constitutional monarchy
The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the head
of state is a King or Queen whose powers are laid down in the
Constitution.
In the Netherlands the powers of the monarch are extremely limited.
Under the Constitution, the ministers, and not the monarch, are
responsible for what the Government does.

8. Did you know?
Since 1815 The Netherlands has been
a constitutional monarchy. Historically
for centuries before, it had been the
proud republic, a union of provinces.
Since 1848, the Netherlands is
also a parliamentary
democracy.
Dutch monarch has no real political power, but serves
as representative head of state and a symbolic person
uniting the divided parliamentary politics.

9. THE PARLIAMENT
The parliament consists of two chambers. The Lower House
(Dutch: Tweede Kamer, or Second Chamber) and Senate (Dutch:
Eerste Kamer, or First Chamber).
The Lower House (Dutch: Tweede Kamer, or Second Chamber)
is elected every four years in a direct national elections
together with the provincial parliaments.
It consists of 150 members.
Only the political parties can take part in the elections.
The lower chamber approves the budget and has the right of
the legal initiative, the right of submitting amendments, the
right to start its own inquires and the right of interpellation.

10. THE PARLIAMENT
The members of the provincial parliaments vote for the less
important Senate consisting of 75 members who approve or
reject all laws of the Netherlands without the right of
amendment.
Senate (Dutch: Eerste Kamer, or First Chamber)
The First and Second Chamber constitute The Estates-General
(Dutch: Staten Generaal, established 1593). In fact, Dutch
political system gives a lot of freedom to the government, as
long as it has support of the parliament.

11. Head of State – The King
The King has several mostly representative functions. He nominates all
the mayors in the Netherlands as well as the politician who forms the
government after the general elections. The monarch also signs all the
laws approved by the parliament.
King Willem-Alexander van Oranje-Nassau is the nominal head of state of
the Netherlands.
Head of the Government - Prime Minister
Mark Rutte from the People's Party for Freedom and
Democracy – VVD (liberals) is at present the Prime Minister of the
Netherlands.

12. GOVERNMENT
The Netherlands is usually governed by a coalition of different political
parties.
Prime minister is usually coming from the party, which won the most
seats in the elections.
Usually the King gives the leader of the party, which won the elections, or
an important politician coming from this party, the task of forming the
new government.
The constitution does not permit to a member of the parliament to serve
in the government.
The council of ministers leads the country’s policy, the minister together
with junior ministers govern.
The council of ministers with the King form together the Crown, an organ
which nominates the members of the State Council (Dutch: Raad van
State), an institution with influence on certain decisions and more
important nominations.

13. Ministers and State Secretaries
Ministers and State Secretaries
The government consists of ministers and state secretaries. Each
ministry is headed by a government minister. There are also ‘ministers
without portfolio’, who are not in charge of a ministry. They work for a
ministry headed by a different minister.
A minister may be supported by one or more state secretaries, who are
entrusted with some of the minister’s tasks. The job descriptions of the
state secretaries are published in the Government Gazette after their
appointment and often change from government to government.
If a minister is absent, a state secretary will usually stand in for them.
The state secretary will, for example, attend Cabinet meetings in the
minister’s place, but does not have the right to vote.
A state secretary also attends Cabinet meetings if the agenda includes a
topic for which he or she is responsible.

14. Did You Know?
The Netherlands is the EU's biggest
agri-food exporter and the second
best in the world.

15. Agri-food Export
Agri-food Export
Materials and Technology € 9.1
Materials and Technology € 9.1
billion
billion
Flowers €
Flowers € 9.1 billion
9.1 billion
Top 5 Export Products
Top 5 Export Products
Total export from the
Netherlands is
(€) 101 billion
Dairy and eggs € 8.9 billion
Dairy and eggs € 8.9 billion
Meat €
Meat € 8.3 billion
8.3 billion
Vegetable € 6.7 billion
Vegetable € 6.7 billion

16. AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
Member state of the
European Union and gate-
way to other European
countries.
The European Union is the
second largest trading
partner of Canada.
Global reputation for
efficiently
producing high
quality foods.
The total export values of agricultural products is high due to the
institutional and consistent collaboration between partners in
the fields of industry, research and government to advance and
innovate the sector on a collective level.

17. VALUE ADDED
PRODUCTS
Agricultural
education
Main agricultural products exported
abroad from the Netherlands:
Flowers and Plants
Meat products
Dairy products
Research
Advanced technologies
Circular agriculture
Food security

18. 2022 Budget Memorandum: Resilience and
further steps forward
Expected GDP growth is 3.9% in 2021 and 3.5% in 2022. According to
estimates, the average rate of unemployment will be 3.4% this year, rising
very slightly to 3.5% in 2022.
Low unemployment is good news but also presents a challenge: businesses
are finding it more difficult to recruit good staff. The national debt is
estimated to be 57.7% in 2022, therefore remaining below the European
Union limit of 60% of GDP. The budget deficit will also fall. While the
government balance will be -6% this year, it is projected to stand at -2.4% in
2022.
Key figures
With expected economic growth of 3.5% in 2022, the Dutch economy is
recovering remarkably quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of
people in work is high, the number of bankruptcies is at a historic low, and
the national debt remains under control. Because of the government’s
caretaker status

19. 2022 Budget Memorandum: Resilience and
further steps forward
In this year’s Budget Memorandum, the government therefore sets out additional
steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In total, the government will invest an
additional sum of over €6.8 billion in climate measures on top of existing spending
on climate policy. Part of this investment is necessary to carry out the National
Climate Agreement. The remainder of this package is directed at the further
implementation of the Urgenda judgment.
Policy measures for 2022
Climate
Security and safety
From next year, €400 million will be provided annually to combat crime of this kind. In
addition, extra funding will be allocated from 2022 onwards to enhance protection and
security. The government will also increase the payments received by legal-aid lawyers
in order to safeguard access to and the availability of legal representation. Also, the
government will invest in the training of military personnel and the availability of
sufficient munitions.

20. 2022 Budget Memorandum: Resilience and
further steps forward
From 2022, the government will make available €100 million a year over 10 years in
order to increase the supply of homes in this period.
Policy measures for 2022
Extra money for building homes
Tax cuts
The government will cut taxes and social insurance contributions by €226 million on a
structural basis to boost the purchasing power of people on low incomes, sole earners
and families. In addition, the government will reduce the landlord levy by €30 million a
year from 2022.
The caretaker government is therefore addressing the most pressing issues for 2022.
However, looking further ahead, structural problems remain in the fields of education,
healthcare, benefits and the labour market. It is up to an incoming government to
determine how to tackle them.

21. In 2020, the national debt in the Netherlands was around 444.57 billion U.S.
dollars.
The national debt is estimated to be 57.7% in 2022, therefore remaining
below the European Union limit of 60% of GDP. The budget deficit will also
fall
National Debt

22. REFERENCES
https://www.amsterdam.info/netherlands/political-
system/
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/nethe
rlands
https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2021/09/21
/2022-budget-memorandum-resilience-and-further-
stepsforward#:~:text=The%20national%20debt%20is%
20estimated,budget%20deficit%20will%20also%20fall.