The domain of Dutch law is commonly divided into the following areas: •
Administrative law •
Civil law (including family law, inheritance law, contract law, and commercial law) •
Criminal law •
Constitutional law (including laws on the structure of the state) •
European law •
International law Civil law Civil law is the domain of law that regulates the everyday life of persons and other legal entities (such as corporations). The main code of Dutch civil law is the
Burgerlijk Wetboek.
Nationality law Criminal law Criminal law deals with the prosecution and
punishment of criminal offenses. The main code is the
Wetboek van Strafrecht (
nl).
Constitutional law Constitutional law involves itself with the constitution and the structure of the Netherlands. It involves the powers of democratic institutions, the organization of elections, and the divisions of powers between central and local governments. See also the article on the
Constitution of the Netherlands. Following the practice of many
civil law jurisdictions, and in contrast, to practice in nations such as the
United States, the practice of Dutch constitutional law is that judges are not allowed to determine the constitutionality of laws created by the legislature (the government and parliament acting jointly).
Administrative law Administrative law is the area of law that regulates the operation of the various levels of government and how persons and legal entities can appeal government decisions. The basics of Dutch administrative law were entirely overhauled in 1994 with the advent of the new Basic Administrative Law (Dutch:
Algemene wet bestuursrecht).
European law European law deals with the influence of laws and regulations of the European Union on the laws of the Netherlands. ==See also==