This is stated in a report published on Tuesday, carried out by a committee that monitors local authorities in Europe. The committee would prefer that the mayors and commissioners be elected through elections.
Appointment Process
In the Netherlands, anyone can currently apply for the position of mayor and commissioner. Municipal councils then elect an intended mayor and the Provincial Council elect a commissioner. They propose that candidate to the king.
But, according to the council, the roles of commissioners and mayors have become increasingly political and important. For example, decisions are more often made at municipal or provincial level about safety, public order and even fundamental rights during the corona crisis, the report concludes.
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The mayors and commissioners also sometimes openly question national policy, for example with regard to the local reception of refugees. The committee therefore considers it appropriate to hold elections for these positions.
More tasks
The committee also sees that municipalities have been given considerably more tasks since 2015. According to the report, Dutch municipalities and provinces have a wide range of tasks to perform, much more than in other European countries. The committee recommends that the local authorities be given sufficient money to carry out the tasks, especially in the field of social and youth assistance.
The Council of Europe is a prominent European human rights organization of which nearly fifty European countries are members. The council is not part of the European Union. Russia and Turkey are also members of the council.
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/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elespectador/4UKI5D2HDNCQPNXKKRJMAUQF4Q.jpg "The measures for the next games of America after the incidents in Pascual")