Artikel 44: Ministries; Minister without Portfolio

Artikel 44
  1. Ministries shall be established by Royal Decree. They shall be headed by a Minister.
  2. Non-departmental Ministers may also be appointed.

In andere talen:

English

  1. Ministries shall be established by Royal Decree. They shall be headed by a Minister.
  2. Non-departmental Ministers may also be appointed.

Français

  1. Les ministères sont institués par décret royal. Ils sont placés sous la direction d'un ministre.
  2. Il peut également être nommé des ministres qui ne soient pas chargés de la direction d'un ministère.

Deutsch

  1. Durch königlichen Erlass werden Ministerien eingerichtet. Sie werden von einem Minister geleitet.
  2. Es können auch Minister ernannt werden, die nicht mit der Leitung eines Ministeriums betraut sind.

Español

  1. Los ministerios se crean por real decreto; están bajo la dirección de un ministro.
  2. También podrán nombrarse Ministros que no tengan a su cargo ministerio alguno.

Explanation

Please note: Only the Dutch-language version of the Constitution has legal effect. 

Ministries are established by Royal Decree. A minister heads a ministry. The minister has political leadership of the ministry. This means that he determines policy in broad terms. The administrative leadership of a ministry is in the hands of a Secretary-General.

There may also be ministers who do not head a ministry. These are ministers 'without portfolio'. Examples of this from the Rutte IV cabinet were the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, the Minister for Long-Term Care and Sport, the Minister for Nature and Nitrogen, and the Minister for Legal Protection.