Integrity of mayors and council members at times hard to assess

We expect mayors, councillors and other office holders to act with integrity and autonomy: indeed, several rules to this end are laid down by law. But how do we assess integrity, and how much protection does the law offer? According to Max Theunisse, integrity law is a pillar of the democratic rule of law, although his research shows that there is still room for improvement, including in its application and explanation. Theunisse will receive his PhD at Radboud University on 28 February. There are several laws aimed at ensuring the integrity of government decisions at the municipal level. And yet, in recent years, we have seen a lot of ambiguity and hassle in cases against the likes of Jos van Rey and Richard de Mos. Because when you look closely at the rules, you see that they sometimes fail to provide sufficient guidance, Theunisse explains. An unexpected decision by a municipality need not necessarily lack in integrity.