constitutionele

Constitutionele is the Dutch adjective meaning relating to a constitution or to constitutional law. It is used to describe legal norms, institutions, and processes that derive from or are constrained by a constitution. In political and legal contexts the term often appears in compounds such as constitutionele orde, constitutionele rechtsstaat, and constitutionele monarchie. At the core is the constitutional order of a state: the constitution itself (the supreme or foundational law), the protection of fundamental rights (grondrechten), the division and balance of political powers, and the rules governing how laws are made and reviewed for constitutionality.

In the Netherlands and Belgium, for example, the constitution and its rights form the basis of the constitutional state, while constitutional review can occur through the judiciary in concrete disputes or through special constitutional procedures, depending on the jurisdiction. The phrase constitutioneel is also used in everyday discourse to distinguish between actions or institutions that conform to the constitutional framework and those that do not.

The concept is not unique to any one country; across systems with a written constitution, constitutionele norms serve to limit governmental power, protect civil liberties, and provide a framework for democratic governance. The term itself derives from Latin constitutio, via French constitutionnel or directly into Dutch as constitutioneel.