Jump to content

Tom de Bruijn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Dutch name, the surname is De Bruijn, not Bruijn.

Tom de Bruijn
De Bruijn in 2021
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Acting
In office
17 September 2021 – 24 September 2021
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded bySigrid Kaag
Succeeded byBen Knapen
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
In office
10 August 2021 – 10 January 2022
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded bySigrid Kaag
Succeeded byLiesje Schreinemacher
Mayor of The Hague
Ad interim
In office
1 March 2017 – 17 March 2017
Preceded byJozias van Aartsen
Succeeded byPauline Krikke
Alderman in The Hague
In office
26 June 2014 – 7 June 2018
Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the European Union
In office
1 January 2003 – 31 May 2011
Preceded byBen Bot
Succeeded byPieter de Gooijer
Personal details
Born
Thomas Justinus Arnout Marie de Bruijn

(1948-10-08) 8 October 1948 (age 76)
Eindhoven, Netherlands
Political partyDemocrats 66
SpouseAngelien Eijsink
Children3
Education
Occupation
  • Diplomat
  • civil servant
  • politician
Signature

Thomas Justinus Arnout Marie de Bruijn (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtɔm də ˈbrœyn]; born 8 October 1948) is a Dutch diplomat, civil servant and politician who served as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the third Rutte cabinet from 10 August 2021 to 10 January 2022. He is a member of the social-liberal Democrats 66 (D66) party.

After studying political science and Dutch law, De Bruijn started working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He rose through its ranks and served as the Dutch permanent representative to the European Union in the years 2003–2011. De Bruijn then worked for the Council of State and was appointed The Hague's alderman for finance, traffic, transport and the environment in 2014. His term ended four years later after he had also served as acting mayor for 17 days in 2017.

De Bruijn was appointed Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the demissionary cabinet in August 2021, replacing Sigrid Kaag. When Kaag resigned as Minister of Foreign Affairs the following month, De Bruijn took over the post in an acting capacity until the appointment of Ben Knapen.

Early life and education

[edit]

De Bruijn was born on 8 October 1948 in the North Brabant city of Eindhoven in a Catholic family.[1][2] He has four older siblings, and his father died when De Bruijn was thirteen years old.[2] He attended the Eindhoven secondary school Sint-Joris Lyceum in the years 1961–66 and subsequently went to the St. Thomascollege, a boarding school in Venlo, completing his secondary education in 1968.[3][4]

He studied political science at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland until 1973 and subsequently pursued a Master of Arts degree in war studies at King's College, part of the University of London. After graduating in 1974, De Bruijn studied Dutch law at Utrecht University, obtaining his degree in 1977.[1][4]

Career

[edit]

1977–2011: Government and diplomatic career

[edit]

After completing his studies, De Bruijn took a job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working at its treaty department. He switched to the ministry's international organizations department in 1981 and became Head of the General Integration Affairs Section at the European integration department three years later.[4] In 1988, De Bruijn became the first secretary of the Dutch permanent representation to the United Nations in Geneva. He returned to the European integration department another four years later, serving as its deputy director.[1] He was promoted to director in 1994, and he became the Director-General for European Cooperation in 1998.[5] In his years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he worked behind the scenes on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) and the Treaty of Amsterdam (1997).[6][7]

De Bruijn was appointed Dutch permanent representative to the European Union in January 2003, succeeding Ben Bot, who had become the Minister of Foreign Affairs.[8] While in that position, De Bruijn was involved in the drafting of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (2004), which was later rejected by the Netherlands in a referendum, as a deputy government representative as well as in the drafting of the Treaty of Lisbon (2007) and the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement (2014).[1][9] He was also on the advisory board of Nexus Institute, which studies European cultural heritage.[1]

2011–2014: Council of State

[edit]

He left the post of permanent representative after eight years in June 2011 to serve as a state councilor of the advisory division of the Council of State, a governmental advisory body.[10] De Bruijn mostly concerned himself with pensions, decentralization, and European legislation.[7]

Starting in early 2012, he was simultaneously a special advisor to the European Commission's Task Force for Greece, which provided assistance to Greece in reforming its government during the country's government-debt crisis. De Bruijn's focus was on eliminating corruption.[11] Furthermore, he served as a guest lecturer at Leiden University, and he chaired both the advisory board of ProDemos, which educates the public about democracy and the rule of law, and the executive board of Europa decentraal, which provides information about European legislation to local and regional governments.[12][13]

De Bruijn stepped down from the Council of State and from his secondary positions when he became an alderman in The Hague in 2014.[13]

2014–2019: Local politics

[edit]

Coalition formation and term as alderman

[edit]
De Bruijn (left) talking to Bert Koenders (middle) and Jeroen Dijsselbloem (right) at a 2016 European conference

In the wake of the 2014 municipal election in The Hague, De Bruijn was chosen as the formateur to create a coalition government for the municipality. D66 had received a plurality of votes in the election, and De Bruijn was appointed nearly four weeks after scout Han Polman had published his report about possible coalitions.[14] The fact that at least five parties were required to form a coalition and disagreements about a proposed cultural center caused The Hague to be among the last municipalities to form a government after the election.[15][16] De Bruijn became an alderman in the new municipal executive in June 2014, and he was responsible for finances, traffic, transportation, and the environment.[17]

Due to legal issues, he initially wanted to discontinue the municipality's policy of lowering subsidies for organizations with managers earning more than a government minister. However, he decided against the move when the municipal council criticized it. The Council of State found the policy to be illegal in 2016, a month after De Bruijn had decided that 25 organizations would receive lower subsidies.[18][19] De Bruijn subsequently advocated unsuccessfully for the laws to be changed such that local governments could restrict subsidies based on management income.[20]

As alderman, he was also responsible for the construction of several bicycle parking garages in the city center, and he assisted ADO Den Haag, which experienced financial hardship starting in 2015.[21][22] De Bruijn said that the municipality would not give financial aid to the football club, but he spoke with Wang Hui, the club's investor, who was not providing the funds he had promised.[22] The municipality gave up its priority share in 2017 after it had refused sign off on the sixth version of ADO Den Haag's budget.[23]

Acting mayor and post-aldermanship

[edit]

On 16 February 2017 – shortly before Mayor Jozias van Aartsen stepped down – De Bruijn was appointed deputy mayor of The Hague next to his position as alderman, replacing Ingrid van Engelshoven, who was participating in the 2017 general election. De Bruijn became acting mayor upon Van Aartsen's resignation on 1 March.[24] Pauline Krikke was sworn in as mayor on 17 March, bringing an end to De Bruijn's mayoralty.[25]

His term as alderman ended on 7 June 2018, when the new municipal executive was installed following the 2018 municipal elections.[26] De Bruijn had told in an interview half a year before that he did not want to continue as alderman, saying it was time for something different.[2] He became the chair of the advisory board of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael in March 2019 after having served as its vice chair.[27] De Bruijn also returned as guest lecturer to Leiden University, and he held positions at Duitsland Instituut (Germany institute; supervisory board chair), Transparency International Nederland (advisory board member), and the lottery holding company Nationale Goede Doelen Loterijen (supervisory board member).[28][29][30][31]

In October 2019, parties of The Hague's municipal executive lost confidence in its two Groep de Mos/Hart voor Den Haag aldermen including Richard de Mos after they had become the subjects of a corruption investigation. De Bruijn was chosen as a scout to investigate possible new coalitions.[32] After a week, he advised Groep de Mos/Hart voor Den Haag to be replaced by the Christian Democratic Appeal and the Labour Party.[33] De Bruijn subsequently served as formateur; the coalition he had proposed was formed in December.[34]

2021–2022: Rutte cabinet

[edit]
De Bruijn on his first day as minister

It was announced on 14 July 2021 that De Bruijn would join the demissionary third Rutte cabinet as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, replacing D66's political leader Sigrid Kaag. De Bruijn took over the post, as Kaag had simultaneously been serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs since May.[29] He was sworn into office on 10 August by King Willem-Alexander at palace Huis ten Bosch after he had left his other positions.[35][36]

Kaag announced her resignation as Minister of Foreign Affairs on 16 September after the House of Representatives had adopted a censure motion because of her handling of evacuations from Afghanistan following the fall of Kabul. De Bruijn took over her duties the following day as acting minister, while the VVD started looking for a permanent successor.[37] De Bruijn's term ended a week later on 24 September, when Ben Knapen (CDA) was sworn in as Kaag's replacement.[38]

He attended the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, where he signed an agreement to halt government financing for foreign fossil fuel projects. The cabinet had initially refused to join it.[39] De Bruijn also started drafting legislation to oblige companies to adhere to corporate social responsibility principles in December 2021 after a similar proposal by the European Commission had been postponed.[40] His term ended on 10 January 2022, when the fourth Rutte cabinet was sworn in, and he was succeeded by Liesje Schreinemacher.[41] De Bruijn subsequently retired and returned as chair of the supervisory board of the Duitsland Instituut. He also became chair of the advisory council of Transparency International Nederland in July 2022, having been a member before.[42][43][44] A book called Hoogmoed en onmacht: Geopolitiek en de Europese Unie (Haughtiness and powerlessness: Geopolitics and the European Union) by De Bruijn was published in 2024.[45]

Personal life

[edit]

De Bruijn lived in The Hague while a minister, and he is married to Angelien Eijsink, a former member of the House of Representatives of the Labour Party.[5][28] He has three children with a previous partner.[2] De Bruijn started playing hockey in his youth and has played at HC Klein Zwitserland. He also enjoys cycling.[7][22]

Decorations

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Internationaal: Nederlanders in Europa" [International: Dutch people in Europe]. Elsevier Weekblad (in Dutch). Vol. 63, no. 12. 24 March 2007. p. 77.
  2. ^ a b c d Klaassen, Niels (2 December 2017). "'Ik dacht: kan ik dit wel, ga ik niet totaal onderuit?'" ['I was thinking: Will I be able to do this, won't I fail completely?']. AD/Haagsche Courant (in Dutch). pp. 10 and 11.
  3. ^ Van der Kris, Jeroen (15 April 2008). "Europa uitgelegd op school: Neelie Kroes legt boetes op" [Europe explained at school: Neelie Kroes imposes fines]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "5164/03 (Presse 4)" (PDF). European Council (Press release). 9 January 2003. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Curriculum Vitae Tom de Bruijn". Government of the Netherlands. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  6. ^ "De Bruijn is zwaargewicht" [De Bruijn is a heavyweight]. AD/Haagsche Courant (in Dutch). 11 June 2014. p. 3.
  7. ^ a b c Brouwers, Arnout (15 July 2021). "Met topdiplomaat Tom de Bruijn als minister van Buitenlandse Handel wint het kabinet aan gewicht" [The cabinet gains in gravitas due to Tom de Bruijn as Minister for Foreign Trade]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  8. ^ De Hen, Paul (18 March 2006). "Permanente Vertegenwoordiging: Bruggenhoofd tussen Europa en Den Haag" [Permanent representation: The bridge between Europe and The Hague]. Elsevier Weekblad (in Dutch). Vol. 62, no. 2. p. 62.
  9. ^ Van Outeren, Emilie (7 April 2016). "Deze keer staat Nederland alleen" [This time the Netherlands is standing alone]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Drs. Tom de Bruijn wordt staatsraad" [Drs. Tom de Bruijn will be appointed state councilor]. Raad van State (Press release) (in Dutch). 11 March 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  11. ^ De Bruijn, Tom (3 December 2012). "'De Griekse corruptie zit overal'" ['Greek corruption is everywhere']. Het Parool (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Frans Boogaard. p. 7.
  12. ^ "Drs. Th.J.A.M. (Tom) de Bruijn". Parlement.com. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  13. ^ a b Bakker, Alexander (16 September 2014). "Haagse wethouder legt bijbanen neer" [The Hague alderman quits side jobs]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). p. 11.
  14. ^ "Acht partijen praten verder" [Eight parties continue talks]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 15 April 2014. p. 11.
  15. ^ "Nog steeds geen zicht op college in Den Haag" [Executive council in The Hague still not close]. Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). 3 May 2014. p. 10.
  16. ^ "In vijf gemeenten nog geen coalitieakkoord" [Still no coalition agreement in five municipalities]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). ANP. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  17. ^ "'Geleidelijk ontstond de chemie in Haags beraad'" ['The chemistry arose gradually during The Hague talks']. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). 13 June 2014. p. 9.
  18. ^ Klaassen, Niels (13 May 2016). "Jammer, plukken kan niet meer" [A pity, picking is not possible anymore]. AD/Haagsche Courant (in Dutch). pp. 2 and 3.
  19. ^ Graveland, Germa (19 May 2016). "Stad stopt met 'subsidiestraf'" [City discontinues 'subsidy punishment']. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). p. 12.
  20. ^ Klaassen, Niels (12 July 2017). "Kabinet: lokale aanpak grootverdieners kan niet" [Cabinet: Local policy against high incomes will not happen]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  21. ^ De Jonge, Lex (4 January 2018). "'Alleen fietsers op de fietspaden in Den Haag'" ['Only cyclists on bike paths in The Hague']. AD/Haagsche Courant (in Dutch). p. 5.
  22. ^ a b c Jansen, Dennis; Klaassen, Niels (16 July 2016). "'Hier sliep ik echt slecht van'" ['This really made me sleep badly']. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  23. ^ Hommes, Kick (22 June 2017). "ADO Den Haag is overgeleverd aan de Chinezen" [ADO Den Haag is at the mercy of the Chinese]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  24. ^ "De Bruijn is maand de baas" [De Bruijn is the boss for a month]. AD/Haagsche Courant (in Dutch). 4 February 2017. p. 1.
  25. ^ "Nieuwe Haagse burgemeester Pauline Krikke geïnstalleerd" [New The Hague mayor Pauline Krikke installed]. West (in Dutch). 17 March 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  26. ^ "Coalitieakkoord gepresenteerd: 'Den Haag, stad van kansen en ambities'" [Coalition agreement presented: 'The Hague, city of opportunities and ambition']. West (in Dutch). 29 May 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  27. ^ "De Bruijn naar Clingendael" [De Bruijn to Clingendael]. AD/Haagsche Courant (in Dutch). 28 February 2019. p. 6.
  28. ^ a b Klaassen, Niels (14 July 2021). "Wie is Tom de Bruijn, de nieuwe minister voor Buitenlandse Handel? 'Vroeger noemden ze me vlinder'" [Who is Tom de Bruijn, the new Minister for Foreign Trade? 'They used to call me butterfly']. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  29. ^ a b Boonman, Vera (14 July 2021). "D66'er Tom de Bruijn nieuwe minister voor Buitenlandse Handel" [D66 member Tom de Bruijn new Minister for Foreign Trade]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  30. ^ "Drs. Tom de Bruijn". Duitsland Instituut (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  31. ^ De Kort, Noor (9 August 2021). "Opdracht van TI-NL aan nieuwe minister Tom de Bruijn: stel integriteit van bedrijven centraal" [Assignment of TI-NL to new minister Tom de Bruijn: focus on corporate integrity]. Transparency International Nederland (Press release) (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  32. ^ Van Dinther, Mac (4 October 2019). "Oud-wethouder moet crisis in Den Haag bezweren" [Former alderman is supposed to avert a crisis in The Hague]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  33. ^ Dirks, Bart (14 October 2019). "Advies verkenner: PvdA en CDA in plaats van Groep De Mos in Haags stadsbestuur" [Advice of scout: Labour Party and CDA instead of Group de Most in The Hague executive]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  34. ^ "Nieuw coalitieakkoord: Den Haag Zuidwest krijgt eigen wethouder" [New coalition agreement: The Hague Zuidwest will get its own alderman]. West (in Dutch). 9 December 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  35. ^ Zwolsman, Noor (10 August 2021). "Koning Willem-Alexander beëdigt drie nieuwe bewindslieden" [King Willem-Alexander swears in three new government members]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  36. ^ "Nieuwe bewindslieden De Bruijn, Wiersma en Van Weyenberg beëdigd" [New government members De Bruijn, Wiersma, and Van Weyenberg sworn into office]. Leidsch Dagblad (in Dutch). ANP. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  37. ^ "Tom de Bruijn tijdelijk opvolger van Kaag op Buitenlandse Zaken" [Tom de Bruijn temporary successor of Kaag for Foreign Affairs]. NOS (in Dutch). 17 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  38. ^ "New Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence sworn in" (Press release). Government of the Netherlands. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  39. ^ Hofs, Yvonne; Peeperkorn, Marc (9 November 2021). "Kabinet maakt reuzendraai: stopt toch met financieren fossiele-brandstofprojecten in het buitenland" [Cabinet makes huge turn: will stop financing foreign fossil fuel projects after all]. Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  40. ^ "Kabinet maakt zelf wet voor verantwoord en duurzaam ondernemen" [Cabinet will itself make a bill about responsible and sustainable entrepreneurship]. Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). 2 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  41. ^ "New Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation sworn in". Government of the Netherlands (Press release). 10 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  42. ^ "Driekwart oud-ministers heeft geen nieuwe baan: 'Lastig om aan de bak te komen'" [Three quarters of former ministers have no new job: 'Hard to find something']. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 27 May 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  43. ^ "Personalia 3-8-2022" [Personal details 3-8-2022]. FD (in Dutch). 3 August 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  44. ^ "Drs. Tom de Bruijn". Duitsland Instituut (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  45. ^ De Bruijn, Tom (4 November 2024). "Oud-topdiplomaat ziet kansen voor kabinet in Brussel: 'Miljard euro minder betalen aan EU is eerder gelukt'" [Former senior diplomat believes cabinet has opportunities in Brussels: 'Paying a billion euros less to the EU has been done before']. Algemeen Dagblad (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Niels Klaassen. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  46. ^ "NEWS: Hoge Poolse onderscheidingen uitgereikt aan Tom de Bruijn en Marko Bos ivm 10 jaar Polen in de EU" [NEWS: High Polish decorations awarded to Tom de Bruijn and Marko Bos due to Poland being in the EU for ten years]. POLONIA.NL – Portal Polonii Holenderskiej (in Dutch). 19 June 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  47. ^ @NLinPoland (10 August 2021). "Congratulations to Tom de Bruijn on his appointment today as Minister for Trade and DevCoop! He played an important role in Poland's accession process to the European Union, earning Polish Order of Merit, awarded by then pres. Komorowski. @ministerBHOS @NLinPoland @DutchMFA" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 August 2021 – via Twitter.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Foreign Affairs
Acting
2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
2021–2022 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "http://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Tom_de_Bruijn&oldid=1256446262"