ABSTRACT
In order to understand the cyber defence response structure of the Netherlands, it is necessary to understand the general Dutch mandate and emergency response structures. In 1848, the statesman Thorbecke was tasked by the king to develop a liberal constitution for the Netherlands based upon a parliamentary democracy. As explained by the States General webpage, the Constitution of the Netherlands and the constitutional arrangements vertically spreads the powers of the king, the States General, provinces and municipalities. The current constitutional arrangements for the mandates and powers of the public authorities in the Netherlands are generally based on this over 165-year-old construct known as the ‘House of Thorbecke’.
