Editing Constitution of the Netherlands (section)

===Systematics and terminology===
Civil law systems are characterized by their emphasis on abstract rules and methodology. Since the [[Netherlands in World War II|Second World War]] there has been a dominant movement within the Dutch legal community to be fully consistent in this and incorporate the total of case law accumulated over the years, while the old law books derived from the French [[Code Napoleon]] remained basically unchanged, into a completely new set of modern codes. There has been a general tendency to strive for economy of style, clarity of expression, conceptual coherence and unity of terminology. The complete revision of the Dutch constitution in 1983 is part of this process. Combined with an absence of explicit legal doctrine the result can be deceptive, as the simple phrasing hides the underlying implicit doctrine.

Because there is no Constitutional Court testing laws and acts against the constitution, much of the systematics are centered on the problem of [[delegation]]. If the legislative were allowed to delegate its powers to the government or to lower decentralized bodies, this would threaten democratic legitimacy and the constitutional protection of the citizen (as citizens have no recourse to a Constitutional Court). Therefore, delegation is only allowed if articles contain the terms "regulate" or "by force of law"; otherwise it is forbidden. This rule itself, however, being legal doctrine, is not explicitly included anywhere within the written law and is only found in the official commission reports and ministerial commentaries accompanying the [[Bill (proposed law)|bill]].