COBOL is a compiled English-like computer programming language designed for business use. It is an imperative, procedural and, since 2002, object-oriented language. COBOL is primarily used in business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments. COBOL is still widely used in applications deployed on mainframe computers, such as large-scale batch and transaction processing jobs. However, due to its declining popularity and the retirement of experienced COBOL programmers, programs are being migrated to new platforms, rewritten in modern languages or replaced with software packages. Most programming in COBOL is now purely to maintain existing applications; however, many large financial institutions were still developing new systems in COBOL as late as 2006 due to the mainframe processing speed.
The House of Orange-Nassau is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands and Europe especially since William the Silent organised the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) led to an independent Dutch state.
Beatrix is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013.
Willem-Alexander is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013.
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands is the spouse of King Willem-Alexander. On 30 April 2013, she became the first queen consort of the Netherlands since Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont and the first Argentine-born queen consort in the history of the Netherlands.
Jakob Gijsbert "Jaap" de Hoop Scheffer is a retired Dutch politician and diplomat of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as Secretary General of NATO from 1 January 2004 until 1 August 2009.
The coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was originally adopted in 1815 and later modified in 1907. The arms are a composite of the arms of the former Dutch Republic and the arms of the House of Nassau, it features a checkered shield with a lion grasping a sword in one hand and a bundle of arrows in the other and is the heraldic symbol of the monarch and the country. The monarch uses a version of the arms with a mantle while the government of the Netherlands uses a smaller version without the mantle (cloak) or the pavilion, sometimes only the shield and crown are used. The components of the coats of arms were regulated by Queen Wilhelmina in a royal decree of 10 July 1907, affirmed by Queen Juliana in a royal decree of 23 April 1980.
Margrietus Johannes "Max" van den Berg is a Dutch politician and member of the Dutch Labour Party. From 1979 to 1986 he was the chairman of that party and from 1999 to 2007 he was a Member of the European Parliament. From 2007 to 2016, he was the King's Commissioner in Groningen, until 2013 as Queen's Commissioner.
Egbert Schuurman is a Dutch engineer, philosopher, politician for the Christian Union, and Emeritus Professor of Philosophy in the Netherlands.
Jules Maaten is a Dutch politician and since August 2020 Head of International Regions at the Headquarters in Potsdam of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF). Prior to that he was FNF Regional Director for sub-Sahara Africa, based in Johannesburg (2016-2020) and FNF country director in the Philippines (2010-2016), supporting projects for good governance, human rights, free trade and introduced the annual Africa Freedom Prize and in Manila the "It's All About Freedom"-project that includes an annual Freedom Run against corruption.
Erik Meijer is a former Dutch politician who was a member of the European Parliament for the Dutch Socialist Party, part of the European Left, between 1999 and 2009. From July 2014 till June 2015 he was a member of the Dutch Senate.
Johannes Franciscus "Hans" Hoogervorst is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and economist. He is the chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) since 1 July 2011.
Bernardus Johannes Maria "Ben" Verwaayen Officier in de Orde van Oranje Nassau is a Dutch businessman and a general partner of Keen Venture Partners. He was Chief Executive Officer of telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent from 2008 to 2013.
Pauline Christine Krikke is a Dutch politician who served as Mayor of The Hague from 2017 until 2019. A member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), she previously served as Mayor of Arnhem from 2001 to 2013. She started her career as a councillor (1994–1996) and alderwoman in Amsterdam (1996–2001) and was elected to the Senate between 2015 and 2017.
Henry Abraham Wassenbergh, known to his friends and colleagues as "Or" Wassenbergh, was a Dutch academic, professor of law, and writer.
The monarchy of the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. As such, the role and position of the monarch are defined and limited by the Constitution of the Netherlands. Consequently, a large portion of it is devoted to the monarch; roughly a third of the document describes the succession, mechanisms of accession and abdication to the throne, the roles and responsibilities of the monarch and the formalities of communication between the States General and the role of the monarch in the creation of laws.
Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau is the widow of Prince Friso and sister-in-law of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. She is a prominent human rights activist, widely known for her roles in co-founding War Child Netherlands, the European Council on Foreign Relations, Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage, and for having served as the first Chief Executive Officer of The Elders, a grouping founded by Nelson Mandela and chaired by Kofi Annan. In 2005, the World Economic Forum recognised her as a Young Global Leader. Van Oranje is an advisor to several non-profits, including the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, the Malala Fund, Crisis Action and the Open Society Foundations.
John Arnold Walther Julius Leerdam is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from 30 January 2003 until 17 June 2010 and again from 28 February 2012 until 5 April 2012.
Cornelis Adrianus Maria "Kees" Neggers is a Dutch Internet pioneer. He is best known for starting and promoting many initiatives for international collaboration in research and education networking.
Ram Labhaya Lakhina is an Indian entrepreneur and community leader living in Oegstgeest, Netherlands. He was the first Chairman of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO). He is the Founder, former Chairman and now Chairman Emeritus of the Netherlands India Chamber of Commerce and Trade (NICCT), serves as a Chairman of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation, and is one of the founders of The World Forum for Ethics and Business.