Samenvatting

This article discusses the impact of European integration on the Dutch rule-of-law system. It begins by outlining the historical development of the rule of law in the Netherlands. Next, it describes how the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), partly through the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), has come to function as a safeguard for the rule of law in the Netherlands, and how European Union (EU) law, partly through the case law of the Court of Justice, has later assumed a similar role. The article then points out that the Netherlands increasingly receives advice on matters relating to the rule of law from ‘Europe’, including from the Venice Commission and the European Commission. Based on the foregoing, the article reflects on the fact that the rule of law in the Netherlands is no longer shaped exclusively at the national level, but through interaction between national and European authorities.