Doing Business in the Netherlands 2012 - American Chamber of ...

Doing Business in the Netherlands 2012
Most significantly, state secretaries are not members of the Council of
Ministers. The government (ministers and state secretaries) prepares
and implements legislation, oversees local government, carries out the
day-to-day business of government and maintains international
relations.
Parliament is made up of two houses. The Senate has 75 indirectly
elected members, who only have the power of veto in the legislative
process. The House of Representatives has 150 members elected
directly by the people.
1.4 Courts
The Netherlands is divided into 19 districts, each with its own court.
The District Court (Rechtbank) is made up of a maximum of five
sectors. These always include the administrative sector, civil sector,
criminal sector and sub-district sector. The District Courts deal as
courts of first instance with criminal cases and civil cases not handled
by the 61 sub-district courts.
Citizens have the right to argue their own case and do not need a
lawyer to represent them in the sub-district courts, Kanton courts
(Kantongerechten). Civil jurisdiction involves all cases concerning
rents, hire purchase, employment and all conflicts involving an
amount under EUR25,000. Criminal Jurisdiction involves minor
offenses.
The 19 districts in the Netherlands are divided into five areas of Court
of Appeal (Gerechtshof) jurisdiction. The Hague and Amsterdam in
the west, Arnhem in the east, Hertogenbosch in the south and
Leeuwarden in the north. The court hears appeal lodged by the
District Courts on criminal and civil law. In most cases, it is possible
to contest the Court of Appeal’s decision by appealing in cassation to
the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. The court also functions as
administrative court, deciding on appeals against tax assessments.
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