The Province of Limburg

The Province of Limburg
Contents
Click on the pictures to go to right page.
Foreword by
the King’s Commissioner
The public service organization
History
The administrative
organization
The seven key tasks of the Provinces
Getting involved in the Province
Provincial government buildings
on the Meuse
The Flag of Limburg
Foreword by King’s
Commissioner
Bovens
Limburg is a unique province,
rich in nature, culture and
history with a thriving
innovative business community.
A province that unites tradition
with progress and serves as a
home and workplace for over
1.1 million Limburgers from a
range of different cultural and
geographical backgrounds. A
province that appeals to many
as the perfect location for work,
study or pleasure.
People love Limburg!
Of the twelve Dutch provinces, Limburg is the most
education, science, government and business sectors
European of them all. We share more borders with Belgium
within the region and beyond. Limburg’s unique position
and Germany than the rest of the Netherlands. Everyday life
both geographically and culturally calls for a well thought-
here has always involved contact with areas that are today
out, strategic, and responsive policy that delivers tangible
located outside our national borders. Our geographical
results. Our provincial government is the body responsible
location and history mean that cross-border cooperation
for overseeing and implementing these policies.
has become a fact of life. Limburg is part of four European
regions and together with our neighbouring countries
This brochure provides further information on the Province
Germany and Belgium we face challenges in a number of
of Limburg, the Provincial Council and the Provincial
different areas. Given its strategic geographical position,
Executive, the King’s Commissioner and the province’s
Limburg is keen to develop within the European Union into
public servants. Please allow us to show you all that the
a truly European region.
Province of Limburg stands for.
Limburg’s economy is also closely knit with those of the
surrounding areas in Belgium and Germany. Together
with knowledge institutes and the province’s business and
industry community, Limburg is hard at work developing
drs. Th.J.F.M. Bovens
campuses that will forge strong alliances between the
King’s Commissioner in Limburg
History
MINING MUSEUM HEERLEN
The region that Limburg encompasses today was inhabited
as early as 250,000 years ago during what was termed
the Old Stone Age. Evidence of these early settlements
can be found in the archaeological finds discovered in the
Belvédère quarry near Maastricht dating from that period.
Over the centuries, the region has been ruled by the
Romans, Spanish, Prussians and French, each of whom
have left their indelible mark. After the Napoleonic wars
in 1815, Limburg was united under the United Kingdom
of the Netherlands. King Willem I decided to name the
region ‘Limburg’ after the ‘Limbourg’ castle in the Belgian
Ardennes, the seat of a medieval principality. Following
Belgian secession in 1839, Limburg was divided between
the Dutch and Belgian crowns.
ROMAN VILLA MOOK
Limburg’s vast cultural diversity is expressed in its variety
way for a new future in the region. The economic focus
of dialects. But this cultural diversity is also reflected in a
shifted to the chemical and automotive industries and office
rich tapestry of events, the most famous being the annual
equipment and supplies sector. Furthermore, Limburg’s
shooting tournament Oud Limburgs Schuttersfeest (OLS),
knowledge economy was boosted with the arrival of
the World Music Contest (WMC) in Kerkrade, and the
Maastricht University, the Open University and international
European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht. In economic
institutes such as the Maastricht School of Management
terms, Maastricht was the Netherlands first industrial city
and the European Institute of Public Administration. This
during the 19th century with the production of ceramics,
southernmost province of the Netherlands is characterized
glass and cement. In 1910, the mining industry made its
by its strong European orientation.
entrance and Limburg remained the main supplier of coal
Viewed in this context, the signing of the Maastricht Treaty
energy in the Netherlands until after the Second World
in 1992 in the Provincial Government Buildings on the
War. The closure of the mines during the years 1965-1975
river Meuse was a momentous occasion. For a more
led to the threat of around 75,000 job losses. Fortunately,
comprehensive history of Limburg, please visit
a comprehensive reconstruction programme paved the
www.canonvanlimburg.nl.
The administrative organization
The Netherlands is a democracy and has an elected
government. At national level, there is the Lower House
of the Dutch Parliament and the Government; at regional
level the Provincial Council of the Province of Limburg (the
States-Provincial) and the Provincial Executive; and at local
level the municipal council and municipal executive. The
regional government is the most important link between the
national government and Limburg’s local authorities.
It represents the interests of all the inhabitants, businesses,
organizations and institutions in Limburg at regional level.
The regional government takes the lead where supra-local
issues are concerned. These encompass a wide variety
of areas such as the economy, culture, planning and
internationalization. The regional government works closely
with a range of partners such as businesses, educational
institutions, interest groups organizations and other
government bodies.
THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS
The seven key tasks of the Provinces
Provincial policy is based on seven key tasks that apply nationwide:
Provincial Council on the Internet
Provincial Council
Elections for the Provincial Council are held once every
The Provincial Council draws up plans affecting
The Provincial Council of Limburg has decided to
four years. All inhabitants of Limburg over the age of
the entire province or regions within the province.
adopt a new name: the Limburg Parliament. As
18 are eligible to vote. The number of council members
Examples are the provincial roads plan and water
of March 2015, the 47 members of the Provincial
varies depending on each province’s population. Limburg
plan, the Provincial Environment Plan for Limburg,
Council represent 11 political parties. The
has 47 council members. The Provincial Council meets
and distribution plans for educational institutions
distribution of seats is as follows:
approximately ten times a year. They are chaired by the
and for healthcare facilities. The Provincial Council
CDA (11), PVV (9), SP (8), VVD (5), D66 (4), PvdA
King’s Commissioner for the province. The Provincial
also monitors the day-to-day work of the Provincial
(4), GroenLinks (2), 50PLUS (1), Partij voor de
Council has established various committees to prepare
Executive, the provincial government’s executive
Dieren (1), Volkspartij Limburg (1) and Lokaal-
the different areas of policy. The committee meetings are
branch. Once every four years, the members of all the
Limburg (1). The latter three parties were newly
chaired by the council members. The meetings of the
Provincial Councils in the Netherlands fulfil the important
elected to the Provincial Council in the most recent
Provincial Council and its committees are open to the
task of electing the members of the Upper House of the
elections, as were 28 of the 47 members.
public. The Provincial Council determines the regional
States General.
government’s general policy. It plays a role similar to
that of the municipal council at local level and that of
the Lower House of the Dutch Parliament at national
level. One of the main tasks of the Provincial Council is
to adopt the annual provincial budget. It also passes the
provincial laws, known as policies and ordinances.
Provincial Council Offices
Since the new, dual system of governance was
introduced in the Netherlands in 2003, the Provincial
Council of Limburg has, in addition to the Provincial
Executive (see below), had its own public service
organization, the Provincial Council Offices. These
offices assist the Provincial Council with everything
from providing factual information to advising on
procedural, legal or other matters. In particular,
the Provincial Council Offices are responsible for
preparing and reporting on meetings, and carrying
out the necessary follow-up procedures. They also
prepare the hearings, working visits and debates of
the Provincial Council and its committees and serve
as the Council’s communication channel. Finally, the
Council Offices advise individual council members
on drawing up motions, amendments, proposals and
other matters related to their term in office.
Coalition agreement
The Provincial Executive
The Provincial Council elects the members of the
Provincial Executive. The members of the Provincial
The coalition agreement forms the
basis of the Provincial Executive’s
entire mandate. In this document,
the coalition partners – the parties
represented in the Provincial
Executive – agree on the goals they
wish to achieve in the period between
two elections.
Executive are responsible for the day-to-day affairs in
the Province. The Provincial Executive prepares the
Provincial Council’s decisions and sees that those
decisions are implemented. Because the issues which
the Provincial Executive deals with vary so widely in
nature, its members have divided up the tasks amongst
themselves. Each executive member has his or her own
set of tasks, referred to as a ‘portfolio’.
Any decisions are taken jointly. The Provincial Executive
also implements national schemes, issues permits and
funding, monitors municipal finances and manages the
property of the province. Its weekly meetings are closed,
but its decisions are generally made public.
CLICK ON A PERSON IN THE PICTURE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
GER KOOPMANS (CDA), ERIC GEURTS (PVDA), HANS TEUNISSEN (D66), MARLEEN VAN RIJNSBERGEN (SP),
THEO BOVENS (KING’S COMMISSIONER), PATRICK VAN DER BROECK (CDA), TWAN BEURSKENS (VVD),
DAAN PREVOO (SP).
King’s Commissioner
The King’s Commissioner is appointed by the Dutch Crown (the ministers, presided over by the
reigning king or queen), for a six-year period. The King’s Commissioner chairs both the Provincial
Council and the Provincial Executive. He may vote in the latter, but has only an advisory vote in
the former. The King’s Commissioner recommends candidates for appointment as mayor, advises
on royal honours, liaises with the Royal Family, assists the police in maintaining public law and
order, and represents the province of Limburg’s interests in a wide range of matters.
DRS. TH.J.F.M. BOVENS
King’s Commissioner or Governor?
In Limburg, the King’s Commissioner is often referred to
as the ‘Governor’. That is because from 1616 until 1794,
the military governors of the eighteenth-century bastion
that formed part of Maastricht’s fortifications resided
in a building known in Dutch as the ‘Gouvernement’. It
was also the residence of the ‘King’s Governor’ during the
reign of King Willem I. The residence retained the name
‘Gouvernement’. The Provincial Law from 1850 replaced the
title of ‘Governor’ with ‘Commissioner’.
The King’s Commissioner, however, continued to reside in
the building and came to be known as the ‘Governor’ in
accordance with previous practices. And so it remained.
The buildings which were subsequently built for the
Provincial Government were also given the name
‘Gouvernement’, known in English today as the Provincial
Government Buildings. The Government Buildings include
those in the Bouillonstraat (1934), now the principal seat of
Maastricht University, and those opened in 1986 along the
river Meuse in Randwijck, a district of Maastricht.
The public service organization
The Provincial Executive of the Province of Limburg is
The entire organization is headed by a three-person
assisted by a staff of public servants who are employed in
management board. The management board is the most
various departments and work on a range of projects and
senior body in the public service organization. The general
programmes according to their expertise. The Province’s
director – known as the secretary – heads the province’s
public servants work in a variety of different fields and
public service organization and bears overall responsibility.
disciplines and have many different jobs, for example
He supervises the public servants and acts as the liaison
surveyor, lawyer, economist or public administrator.
between them and the Provincial Executive.
THE MANAGEMENT BOARD
JAN SMEELEN, JOYCE NELISSEN, AD DE KROON (GENERAL
MANAGING DIRECTOR)
Provincial finances
Revenues
Expenditure
Policy-making and policy implementation cost money.
The Province’s expenditure consists of the costs of new
Like other organizations, the Province draws up a budget
initiatives and projects and its fixed expenses, for example
presenting its anticipated revenues and expenditure. The
long-term projects, road works, funding for subsidized
national government is the Province’s most important
institutions and employee wages and benefits. An annual
source of income: it supports the Province from the
sum of approximately EUR 471 million is available for policy-
Provinces Fund and with earmarked funding. The
implementation within the province.
earmarked funding consists of money that the Province
distributes on behalf of the national government, for
example to the local councils and institutions. In addition,
the Province has other sources of income, for example
the surcharge on road tax, dividends and interest
revenues,
and miscellaneous.
Getting involved
in the Province
The Province of Limburg believes it is important for
For further information, please visit
Limburg’s inhabitants to be actively involved in their
www.limburg.nl > Bestuur > Provinciale Staten > Burgerparticipatie (available in Dutch only).
province. As a resident of Limburg, you have many
different ways of expressing your opinion, and various
opportunities to participate in provincial policy-making.
These include:
•
Public consultation process
•
Interactive policy-making
•
Right to speak
•
Referendum
•
Public initiative
Influence after the fact
Arbitration and mediation
Province or on the conduct of the Provincial government or one of
official handling the matter, the secretary of the Objections
its employees.
Advisory Committee or the external official called in to
•
Objections
advise will attempt to get the parties to arrive at a solution
•
Complaints
that is satisfactory to all. Another possibility is mediation.
The public can also express its opinions on decisions taken by the
For further information, please visit www.limburg.nl > e-Loket >
When an objection or complaint is submitted, the provincial
Website
The Province’s website, www.limburg.nl, provides all the
which explains in a fun and informative way how the
latest information on the provincial government and its
Province of Limburg functions. The Province also has a
organization, as well as press releases, decisions and
Twitter account, @limburg and also communicates with the
agendas. One special section of the site is devoted to the
public through channels and platforms such as Facebook
Province’s younger generation, Jong@Limburg,
and LinkedIn.
Provincial Government Buildings on the Meuse
Gouvernement aan de Maas
The location of Limburg’s provincial government
complex along and even partly in the Meuse
expresses the special significance of this complex
Bij
for de
thesituering
entire province.
van het After
Limburgse
all, theprovinciehuis
Meuse flows
aan
the full
en length
gedeeltelijk
of Limburg,
zelfs infrom
de Maas
Eijsden
is de
in the
bijzondere
south to Mook
betekenis
in the north.
van ditThe
gebouw
Meuse
voor
hasdehad a
gehele
powerful
provincie
influence
toton
uitdrukking
the province’s
gebracht.
landscape
Immers,
and
de
history.
MaasGuided
stroomttours
doorofLimburg
the Provincial
van Eijsden
Government
tot
Mook.
buildings
Deze
arerivier
offered.
heeft
For
hetinformation
landschapon
enthe
historie
guided
van
tours,
deorprovincie
themed in
visits
sterke
for educational
mate bepaald.
institutes:
In
limburg.nl
het Gouvernement
> Organisatie
zijn>rondleidingen
Gouvernement
mogelijk.
>
Voor
Rondleidingen.
meer informatie over rondleidingen, of
themabezoeken voor onderwijsinstellingen, kunt u
zich direct op de website aanmelden: limburg.nl >
Organisatie > Gouvernement > Rondleidingen.
MAIN ENTRANCE
GALERIJ
Art in the Provincial
Government Buildings
The Government Buildings on the river Meuse house
a fascinating collection of art produced by local artists.
During the 1980s, the Provincial Government Buildings
fostered a strong appreciation for Limburg art. The then
King’s Commissioner Sjeng Kremers (1977-1990) took
the initiative to provide Limburg artists with a platform to
GROTE STAAT
exhibit their work in the Provincial Government Buildings.
The arrival of the King’s Commissioner Frissen (2005-2011)
gave the initiative a new lease of life with its key objective
THE TREATY OF MAASTRICHT
being to ‘build a bridge between tradition and experiment’.
The current collection contains over 1,300 works.
KLEINE STAAT
The flag
of Limburg
A flag for the province was adopted by the Provincial Council
on 28 July 1953.
This consists of ‘two horizontal stripes of the same height, the upper silver
(white) and the lower gold (golden yellow), separated from one another by
a narrower blue stripe; all surmounted at the hoist (flagstaff) end by a red,
double-tailed, crowned lion’.
The coat of arms of Limburg
King William III granted Limburg a coat of arms by means of
The official description is as follows:
a Royal Decree dated 27 December 1886. The coat of arms
‘Quarterly; I argent, a lion rampant double queued gules,
combines the arms of the four main princedoms that made
armed and crowned or (Valkenburg); II or, a lion rampant sable,
up what is now the Province of Limburg until the arrival of
armed and langued gules (Jülich); III or, three buglehorns
the French in 1794. The coat of arms of Limburg therefore
gules, vrioled of argent, arranged two-and-one (Horn); IV
reflects the political history of the province.
azure, a lion rampant double-queued or, armed and crowned
of the same, langued gules (Guelders before 1371) and an
inescutcheon argent, a lion rampant double-queued gules,
crowned and armed or (Limburg). The shield is crested by a
duke’s coronet.’
The anthem of Limburg
‘Limburg mijn Vaderland’
- refrein -
Roermond by Dutch teacher Gerard Krekelberg
‘t nachtegaaltje zingt;
Waar aan ‘t oud Oranjehuis
‘t lied des leeuweriks klinkt;
Met ons roemrijk Nederland
The anthem of Limburg was composed in
(1864-1937), who probably wrote it at the request
of Hendrik Tijssen (1862-1926), conductor of the
male voice choir in Roermond that first performed
the song in 1909. The song quickly became
popular both in Dutch and Belgian Limburg and is
now considered the anthem of the two Limburgs,
with the exception of the final verse, which is sung
only in Dutch Limburg.
Waar in ‘t bronsgroen eikenhout
Over ‘t malse korenveld
Waar de hoorn des herders schalt
langs der beekjes boord:
refrein:
Daar is mijn Vaderland
Limburgs dierbaar oord!
Daar is mijn Vaderland
Limburgs dierbaar oord!
Waar de brede stroom der Maas
statig zeewaarts vloeit;
Download the anthem.
Weeldrig sappig veldgewas
kost’lijk groeit en bloeit;
Bloemengaard en beemd en bos
Listen to the anthem.
overheerlijk gloort:
- refrein -
Waar der vaad’ren schone taal
klinkt met held’re kracht;
Waar men kloek en fier van aard
vreemde praal veracht;
Eigen zeden, eigen schoon
‘t hart des volks bekoort:
‘t volk blijft hou en trouw;
één in vreugd en rouw;
Trouw aan plicht en trouw aan God
heerst van Zuid tot Noord:
-refrein-
Colofon
Published by
Provincie Limburg
address for visitors: Limburglaan 10, Maastricht
postal address: P.O. Box 5700
6202 MA Maastricht
tel.: +31 (0)43 389 99 99
e-mail: postbus@prvlimburg.nl
www.limburg.nl
November 2015
15-3442
w w w. l i m b u r g . n l