The Future of the National Constitutional State

The national constitutional state will continue to occupy a central position as the anchor point of the international legal order for the time being. There is, however, a risk that as a small country the Netherlands will lose its influence on the development of international law. A properly functioning constitutional state demands constant attention and maintenance, the WRR says in its report The future of the National Constitutional State (Report no. 63, 2002).

Internationalisation and individualisation threaten the sovereign national state

The concrete shape of the constitutional state was formerly closely connected with the sovereign national state. Two recent developments are changing that: internationalisation and individualisation. The WRR still sees a future for the constitutional state, but a number of conditions will have to be met for it to function effectively. They include proper law enforcement and an effective judicial system.

Recommendations for a stable constitutional state

In this report the WRR looks in detail at the consequences of these developments. It makes a great many recommendations to guarantee the stable functioning of the constitutional state in the future. The principal points it makes are the need for more effective criminal law enforcement, reform of many rules and a properly functioning and transparent judiciary.