Carole M. Billiet, Beginselen van behoorlijk bestuur en bestuurlijke handhaving. Evenredigheid en zuinigheid in het sanctioneringsproces [Principles of proper administration and administrative law enforcement. Proportionality and economy in the sanctioning process], Tijdschrift voor Milieurecht 2008, 298-309
Administrative sanctioning powers quasi always contain a certain measure of discretion. This discretion implies the right and the obligation to balance interests in such a way that the public interest is promoted. Principles of good government play a crucial role in this exercise. The article explores the relevance of the proportionality principle and the economy principle in the administrative sanctioning process. The proportionality principle has seen an important development in the case-law of the Council of State and appears to be structured differently according to whether the sanction under consideration is punitive or remedial. The economy principle applies to the valuation of the enforcing authority’s interest and therefore has a major influence on the weighing process.
Full publication (Dutch) here.