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Cabinet of the Netherlands
The cabinet of the Netherlands (Dutch: Nederlands kabinet) is the main executive body of the Netherlands. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Jetten cabinet, which has been in office since 23 February 2026. It is headed by Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
The cabinet consists of the ministers and state secretaries, and is led by the prime minister.
Pursuant to article 44 of the Constitution, each ministry is headed by a minister. In this capacity, the minister is responsible for the civil service of his or her own ministry, and can issue orders and instructions, as well as guidelines and policy rules for the performance of statutory and administrative tasks. In this context, the minister also has legal prerogatives with regard to civil servants, such as appointment and dismissal. Furthermore, the minister is responsible for managing the ministry's budget. Ministers without portfolio can also be appointed. These ministers do not head a ministry, but are responsible for a policy area within a ministry. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but there is also a Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Aid placed in the same ministry.
All ministers, including ministers without portfolio, together constitute the Council of Ministers. Article 45 of the Constitution states that the Council of Ministers "deliberates and decides on general government policy and promotes the unity of that policy." For this purpose, it meets every Friday in the Trêveszaal in the Binnenhof, under the chairmanship of the prime minister or a deputy prime minister. In these confidential meetings, possible differences of opinion between ministers are settled so that the Council of Ministers can take decisions collectively and present a unified position to parliament, in line with the principle of cabinet collective responsibility. Typically, a good deal of effort is put into reaching relative consensus on any decision. A process of voting within the Council does exist, but is hardly ever used.
Article 46 of the Constitution allows for the appointment of state secretaries who, like ministers without portfolio, are responsible for a particular policy area within a ministry. Unlike ministers without portfolio, however, state secretaries do not attend meetings of the Council of Ministers unless invited, and even then they have no voting rights. Within their ministry, state secretaries are subordinate to the minister, but they bear individual ministerial responsibility toward parliament with respect to their own policy area. Some state secretaries are given the right to call themselves "Minister" in other countries and be treated as such for protocolary purposes.
Together with the King, the Council of Ministers forms the Government, which makes all the major decisions. In practice, the King does not participate in the daily decision-making of government, although he is kept up to date by weekly meetings with the Prime Minister. The Constitution does not speak of cabinet, but instead only of the Council of Ministers and Government.
The ministers, individually and collectively (as cabinet), are responsible to the States-General for government policy and must enjoy its confidence. It is not possible for a minister to be a member of parliament. Ministers or state secretaries who are no longer supported by a parliamentary majority are also expected by convention to step down. In contrast to the Westminster system, Dutch ministers may not simultaneously also be members of the States-General, although members of the States-General can be appointed as ministers, whereupon their seats become vacant.
An important question is whether the relationship between the cabinet and parliament should be dualistic or monistic. That is, whether ministers and parliamentary leaders of governing parties should coordinate important political decisions. According to the dualistic position, members of parliament of governing parties should function independently of the cabinet. The monistic position, by contrast, is that the cabinet plays an important role in proposing legislation and policy.
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Cabinet of the Netherlands
The cabinet of the Netherlands (Dutch: Nederlands kabinet) is the main executive body of the Netherlands. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Jetten cabinet, which has been in office since 23 February 2026. It is headed by Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
The cabinet consists of the ministers and state secretaries, and is led by the prime minister.
Pursuant to article 44 of the Constitution, each ministry is headed by a minister. In this capacity, the minister is responsible for the civil service of his or her own ministry, and can issue orders and instructions, as well as guidelines and policy rules for the performance of statutory and administrative tasks. In this context, the minister also has legal prerogatives with regard to civil servants, such as appointment and dismissal. Furthermore, the minister is responsible for managing the ministry's budget. Ministers without portfolio can also be appointed. These ministers do not head a ministry, but are responsible for a policy area within a ministry. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but there is also a Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Aid placed in the same ministry.
All ministers, including ministers without portfolio, together constitute the Council of Ministers. Article 45 of the Constitution states that the Council of Ministers "deliberates and decides on general government policy and promotes the unity of that policy." For this purpose, it meets every Friday in the Trêveszaal in the Binnenhof, under the chairmanship of the prime minister or a deputy prime minister. In these confidential meetings, possible differences of opinion between ministers are settled so that the Council of Ministers can take decisions collectively and present a unified position to parliament, in line with the principle of cabinet collective responsibility. Typically, a good deal of effort is put into reaching relative consensus on any decision. A process of voting within the Council does exist, but is hardly ever used.
Article 46 of the Constitution allows for the appointment of state secretaries who, like ministers without portfolio, are responsible for a particular policy area within a ministry. Unlike ministers without portfolio, however, state secretaries do not attend meetings of the Council of Ministers unless invited, and even then they have no voting rights. Within their ministry, state secretaries are subordinate to the minister, but they bear individual ministerial responsibility toward parliament with respect to their own policy area. Some state secretaries are given the right to call themselves "Minister" in other countries and be treated as such for protocolary purposes.
Together with the King, the Council of Ministers forms the Government, which makes all the major decisions. In practice, the King does not participate in the daily decision-making of government, although he is kept up to date by weekly meetings with the Prime Minister. The Constitution does not speak of cabinet, but instead only of the Council of Ministers and Government.
The ministers, individually and collectively (as cabinet), are responsible to the States-General for government policy and must enjoy its confidence. It is not possible for a minister to be a member of parliament. Ministers or state secretaries who are no longer supported by a parliamentary majority are also expected by convention to step down. In contrast to the Westminster system, Dutch ministers may not simultaneously also be members of the States-General, although members of the States-General can be appointed as ministers, whereupon their seats become vacant.
An important question is whether the relationship between the cabinet and parliament should be dualistic or monistic. That is, whether ministers and parliamentary leaders of governing parties should coordinate important political decisions. According to the dualistic position, members of parliament of governing parties should function independently of the cabinet. The monistic position, by contrast, is that the cabinet plays an important role in proposing legislation and policy.
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