The Netherlands National Handbook on Decision-Making in Crisis Situations II Definitions 1. In the context of this National Handbook, crisis management entails the full spectrum of measures taken and provisions made by central government in cooperation with relevant public and private partners for coordination and decision-making in situations in which national security is (or may be) at risk or which have (or may have) serious consequences for society.3 2. National security is at risk if one or more of the vital interests of the State and/or society are threatened to the extent that there is actual or potential social disruption. Those vital interests are: -- territorial security: in a broad sense, the Netherlands’ ability to function without disruption as an independent state; in a restricted sense, territorial integrity; -- economic security: the Netherlands’ ability to function without disruption as an effective and efficient economy; -- ecological security: the capacity of the environment to recover adequately and spontaneously from damage; -- physical security: the ability of people and their surroundings to function normally, without disruption, in the Netherlands; -- social and political stability: the continued existence of a social climate in which groups of people can live together successfully, without disruption, within the framework of the rule of law and shared values. These five interests are usually so closely intertwined that they cannot be taken in isolation.4 Situations that can have serious societal consequences include local or regional incidents or accidents with many casualties, incidents and accidents outside the Netherlands that involve a large number of Dutch victims or have a major societal impact in the Netherlands, or events in the Netherlands of national and international significance. 3 This is a broader definition than the one laid down in section 1 of the Safety Regions Act, which defines crisis management as ‘maintaining public order’. 4 National Security Strategy, Parliamentary Papers, House of Representatives, 2006-2007, 30 821, nos. 1 and 3. 3. At central government level, each ministry is responsible for organising and financing the crisis management measures (preparation, response and recovery) to be taken within its own policy field and coordinating them with the Minister of Security and Justice, other central government parties and the relevant public and private partners. Individual ministries are also responsible for ensuring that a framework is in place for the crisis management measures to be taken by the vital industries, organisations and installations that fall within their mandate.5 4. In most instances, a local or regional crisis will be dealt with by the tier of government (e.g. municipality, water authority or safety region) and organisations operating at that level. Depending on the nature and scale of the incident, other organisations may be called in (horizontal and/or vertical up-scaling). A national, uniform system (= GRIP) 6 is in place for that purpose. If the effects of a situation, incident or event have ramifications beyond a particular region, the head of the source region is responsible for maintaining public order and general public safety. 5. Depending on how a situation develops, central government can play three roles in a crisis: facilitation, coordination and management. a. Central government facilitation Central government can assist the competent authorities in the general sector (municipality, safety region, province) or functional sector (water authority, vital industry). Assistance can be provided at the request of the competent authorities in the general or functional sector or on central government’s own initiative. 5 For an up-to-date summary of government responsibilities, see Bestuurlijke netwerkkaarten crisisbeheersing (a network plan describing duties and responsibilities in a regional crisis management context) (Dutch Safety Institute; IFV, 2015) and the appended charts, which illustrates the competences of the parties involved. 6 GRIP is the Dutch acronym for Coordinated Regional Incident Management Procedure. The GRIP system consists of a series of levels: local (1-3), regional (4) and interregional (5). 13