Holandia

Abstract

The Netherlands is a country with rich traditions of self-government. Already in the Middle Ages, on the territory of the Netherlands advanced forms of self-government existed. Local government has changed over the centuries, from a federation, which was the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, to a decentralized unitary state, which was shaped in the years 1848–1851. In contemporary Holland, public administration works on three levels – central government, provinces and municipalities. The author of the article presents constitutional-law shape of self-government, the powers of the local government, and financing of provinces and municipalities. Particular attention is paid to the current political situation, and local party coalitions at the provincial and municipal level.