Council of State member Ellis
meets Lt. Governor, ExCo, IC
PHILIPSBURG--Member of the Council of State of the Kingdom Professor and Attorney Maarten Ellis is on a familiarisation trip to the Netherlands Antilles and will be in the Windward Islands to meet with dignitaries
Ellis is scheduled to conduct separate discussions with Lt. Governor of the Island Territory of St. Maarten Franklyn Richards, the Executive Council and the Island council of St. Maarten today, the cabinet of the Lt. Governor said on Monday.
In the Netherlands, the Council of State is a constitutionally established advisory body to the government. Based on the constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, there is also a Council of State of the Kingdom.
The composition of the Council of State of the Kingdom is similar to that of the Dutch Council of State, with the exception that it also includes state councillors representing the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. These are known as Kingdom State councillors.
Present Kingdom State Councillors are Attorney H.C. Maduro and Ellis, who recently succeeded Gilbert Wawoe.
The Council of State in the Netherlands is an advisory body on constitutional and judicial aspects of legislature and policy. All laws proposed by the Dutch cabinet have to be sent to the Council of State for advice. Although the advice is not binding, the cabinet is required to react to it and it often plays a significant role in the ensuing debate in Dutch Parliament. In addition, the Council is the highest administrative court.
The Council is ex officio chaired by the Queen. Currently Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima are members as well, although they have no right to vote.
The Queen leaves daily affairs to the vice-chair of the Council Herman Tjeenk Willink and the other councillors, who are mainly legal specialists, former ministers, members of parliament and judges or professors of law.
The Council of State of the Kingdom advises on proposals with regard to general measures of governance that would be implemented in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. These include Kingdom laws and general measures of the Kingdom Government, such as consensus Kingdom laws and consensus general measures of the Kingdom, as deduced from the November 2, 2006, final statement.
As such, the Council’s work is of significance to the ongoing constitutional changes within the Netherlands Antilles; among others, the attaining of country status by St. Maarten. The Council of State of the Kingdom will be advising on amendments to the Kingdom constitution, which is a requirement for realisation of the constitutional changes.
The Council of State of the Kingdom advises as well on matters directly affecting the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. These include issues such as revision of the constitution, defence, foreign affairs and international treaties.
Other responsibilities are those related to appeals made to the Crown. The Islands Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles ERNA makes provision for Executive Councils to appeal to the crown in cases where the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles annuls decisions by Island Governments.
