Artikel 45: Council of Ministers & Prime Minister

Artikel 45
  1. The Ministers shall together constitute the Cabinet.
  2. The Prime Minister shall chair the Cabinet.
  3. The Cabinet shall consider and decide upon overall government policy and shall promote the coherence thereof.

In andere talen:

English

  1. The Ministers shall together constitute the Cabinet.
  2. The Prime Minister shall chair the Cabinet.
  3. The Cabinet shall consider and decide upon overall government policy and shall promote the coherence thereof.

Français

  1. Les ministres forment ensemble le Conseil des Ministres.
  2. Le Premier Ministre préside le Conseil des Ministres.
  3. Le Conseil des Ministres délibère et statue sur la politique générale du Gouvernement et favorise l'unité de cette politique.

Deutsch

  1. Die Minister bilden gemeinsam den Ministerrat.
  2. Der Ministerpräsident ist Vorsitzender des Ministerrats.
  3. Der Ministerrat berät und beschließt über die allgemeine Regierungspolitik und sorgt für die Einheitlichkeit dieser Politik.

Español

  1. Los Ministros forman juntos el Consejo de Ministros.
  2. El Primer Ministro presidirá el Consejo de Ministros.
  3. El Consejo de Ministros deliberará y decidirá sobre la política general del Gobierno y favorecerá la unidad de esa política.

Explanation

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

The Council of Ministers must deliberate and make decisions regarding general government policy. There must be unity in government policy. In this regard, the Prime Minister, as Chair of the Council of Ministers, has a coordinating function. The working methods of the Council of Ministers are laid down in Rules of Procedure.

The Prime Minister is, as it is also called, 'primus inter pares', the first among equals. The Prime Minister is also referred to as 'premier'. The Prime Minister is ultimately responsible for general government policy, but the ministers remain responsible for their own policy areas.

The position of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers has grown significantly in the twentieth century. Until 1983, these concepts did not appear in the Constitution.