Henri "Hans" van den Broek (; born 11 December 1936) is a retired

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

politician and diplomat of the defunct

Catholic People's Party The Catholic People's Party ( nl, Katholieke Volkspartij, KVP) was a Catholic Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1945 as a continuation of the Roman Catholic State Party, which was a continuation of ...

(KVP) and later the

Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolution ...

(CDA) party and jurist who served as European Commissioner from 6 January 1993 until 16 September 1999. Van den Broek studied

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

at the

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

obtaining a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

degree. Van den Broek worked as a lawyer in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

from May 1965 until September 1968 and as a corporate director at a company in Ede from September 1968 until October 1976. Van den Broek became a Member of the House of Representatives on 12 October 1976 serving as a frontbencher and

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for

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

. After the election of 1981 Van den Broek was appointed as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Van Agt II taking office on 11 September 1981. The Cabinet Van Agt II fell just seven months into its term and was replaced by the

caretaker Caretaker may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Caretaker'' (film), a 1963 adaptation of the play ''The Caretaker'' * '' The Caretakers'', a 1963 American film set in a mental hospital * Caretaker, a character in the 1974 film '' ...

Cabinet Van Agt III with Van den Broek retaining his position. After the election of 1982 Van den Broek was appointed as

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

taking office on 4 November 1982. After the elections of 1986 and

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

Van den Broek continued his office in the Cabinets Lubbers II and III. In November 1992 Van den Broek was nominated as the next European Commissioner in the Third Delors Commission, and was given the heavy portfolios of External Relations and Enlargement taking office on 6 January 1993. In November 1994 Van den Broek was re-nominated for a second term in the

Santer Commission The Santer Commission was the European Commission in office between 23 January 1995 and 15 March 1999. The administration was led by Jacques Santer (former Prime Minister of Luxembourg). The body had 20 members and oversaw the introduction of ...

, and keept his previous portfolios with addition of Neighbourhood Policy serving from 25 January 1995 until 16 September 1999. Van den Broek retired from active politics at 62 and became active in the private and

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, inf ...

s as a corporate and non-profit director and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government and as a occasional diplomat for economic and diplomatic delegations. Following his retirement Van den Broek continued to be active as an advocate and lobbyist for

Human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

nuclear disarmament Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space * Nuclea ...

and for more European integration. Van den Broek was known for his abilities as a skillful negotiator and effective mediator. Van den Broek was granted the honorary title of

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

on 25 February 2005 and continued to comment on political affairs as a statesman until his retirement in 2010. He holds the distinction of as the third longest-serving Minister of Foreign Affairs with .

Early life and education

Henri van den Broek was born on 11 December 1936 in

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. His father was Hendrik Johannes van den Broek and his mother was Maria Alberta Antonia Roest. Van den Broek went to the Roman Catholic secondary school Lyceum voor het Gooi in Hilversum. He studied Dutch law at

, where he received his master's degree ( Master of Law) in 1965. He began his career as a lawyer joining the Katholieke Volkspartij (KVP) and was member of the municipal council of

Rheden Rheden () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. Population centres Population of the seven villages on 1 January 2013 Topography ''Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Rheden, June 2015'' Transportation * Railway ...

between 1970 and 1974. Between 1976 and 1981 he was member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, as representative of the KVP and later of the Christen-Democratisch Appèl (CDA). He was Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs in the governments of

Ruud Lubbers Rudolphus Franciscus Marie "Ruud" Lubbers (; 7 May 1939 – 14 February 2018) was a Dutch politician, diplomat and businessman who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1982 to 1994, and as United Nations High Commissioner for Re ...

three times and in 1991 was one of the EU negotiators of the Brioni Agreement, which ended the ten-day war in

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. Major aspects of his time in office included massive demonstration in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

(1983) against the planned installation in the Netherlands of nuclear-armed U.S. cruise missiles (which was cancelled after all due to arms reduction talks between the US and the Soviet Union). On 6 January 1993 he became a member of the European Commission, once again with responsibility for foreign relations, especially the

Enlargement of the European Union The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria ...

. He remained in that post until March 1999, when he retired from European politics. On 25 February 2005, he was granted the honorary title of

. Van den Broek is president of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations (''Clingendael'') and also of

Radio Netherlands Radio Netherlands (RNW; nl, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep) was a public radio and television network based in Hilversum, producing and transmitting programmes for international audiences outside the Netherlands from 1947 to 2012. Its services i ...

. He is a Member of the Board of Advisors of th
Global Panel Foundation
a respected NGO that works behind the scenes in crisis areas around the world. He is a signatory of Global Zero (campaign), a non-profit international initiative for the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide.

Career

He worked as a lawyer and prosecutor at ''Blom & Dutilh'' in

from August 1965 until May 1968 and as a corporate director at the synthetic fiber company

ENKA is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than '' ryūkōka'' music, ...

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

from May 1968 until 12 October 1976. Van den Broek served on the

Municipal Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

from 1 September 1970 until 21 August 1974. Van den Broek became a Member of the House of Representatives after the resignation of Theo van Schaik, taking office on 12 October 1976. After the election of 1981 Van den Broek was appointed as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Van Agt II, taking office on 11 September 1981. The Cabinet Van Agt II fell just seven months into its term on 12 May 1982 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced by the

Cabinet Van Agt III with Van den Broek continuing as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, taking office on 29 May 1982. After the election of 1982 Van den Broek returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 16 September 1982. Following the cabinet formation of 1982 Van den Broek appointed as

in the Cabinet Lubbers I, taking office on 4 November 1982. After election of 1986 Van den Broek again returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 3 June 1986. Following cabinet formation of 1986 Van den Broek continued as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Lubbers II, taking office on 14 July 1986. The Cabinet Lubbers II fell on 3 May 1989 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity. After the election of 1989 Van den Broek once again returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 14 September 1989. Following the cabinet formation of 1989 Van den Broek remained as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Lubbers III, taking office on 7 November 1989. In November 1992 Van den Broek was nominated as the next European Commissioner from the Netherlands. Van den Broek was giving the heavy portfolios of External Relations and Enlargement in the Third Delors Commission, he resigned as a Minister of Foreign Affairs on 3 January 1993 and was installed as European Commissioner, taking office on 6 January 1993. In December 1994 Van den Broek was re-nominated as European Commissioner. He kept the portfolios of External Relations and Enlargement and got the additional portfolio of Neighbourhood Policy in the

, serving from 23 January 1995 until 16 September 1999. Van den Broek retired after spending 23 years in national politics and became active in the

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The ...

and

and occupied numerous seats as a corporate director and nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards ( Institute of International Relations Clingendael, Carnegie Foundation,

Radio Netherlands Worldwide Radio Netherlands (RNW; nl, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep) was a public radio and television network based in Hilversum, producing and transmitting programmes for international audiences outside the Netherlands from 1947 to 2012. Its services i ...

and the

Schiphol Group Royal Schiphol Group is a Dutch airport management company. It was established during 1916 in conjunction with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, having been responsible for operating and developing throughout its operational life. During October 2008, ...

) and served as an diplomat and lobbyist for several economic delegations on behalf of the government and as an advocate and activist for

, European integration and

Nuclear disarmament Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space * Nuclea ...

. He is a Senior Network Member at the

European Leadership Network European Leadership Network (ELN) is a pan-European think-tank focusing on European foreign, defence and security issues based in London, United Kingdom. The ELN's Director is Sir Adam Thomson, former UK Permanent Representative to NATO. Histo ...

(ELN). Van den Broek is known for his abilities as a negotiator and

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

r. Van den Broek continued to comment on political affairs as a statesman until his retirement in 2010 and holds the distinction as the second longest-serving Minister of Foreign Affairs with after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. His youngest daughter Princess Marilène is married to Prince Maurits, the oldest son of

Princess Margriet Princess Margriet Francisca of the Netherlands (born 19 January 1943) is the third daughter of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard. As an aunt of the reigning monarch, King Willem-Alexander, she is a member of the Dutch Royal House and currently ...

the younger sister of former

Queen Beatrix Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix is the eldest daughter of Queen Juliana and her husban ...

Personal life

Van den Broek is married to Josee van den Broek-van Schendel. They have two daughters, one of whom is Princess Marilène, the wife of

Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven Prince Maurits Willem Pieter Hendrik of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (born 17 April 1968) is a member of the Dutch royal family as the eldest son of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Pieter van Vollenhoven. Before the succession of his ...

and as such a member of the Dutch royal family.

Decorations

Honorary degrees

References

External links

;Official *
Mr. H. (Hans) van den Broek
Parlement & Politiek {{DEFAULTSORT:Broek, Hans van den 1936 births Living people Catholic People's Party politicians Christian Democratic Appeal politicians Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Dutch academic administrators Dutch anti–nuclear weapons activists Dutch corporate directors Dutch European Commissioners Dutch expatriates in Belgium Dutch expatriates in France Dutch humanitarians Dutch human rights activists Dutch lobbyists Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch nonprofit executives Dutch prosecutors Dutch public broadcasting administrators Dutch Roman Catholics Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit (Portugal) Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Grand Officers of the Order of Leopold II Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Knights of the Holy Sepulchre Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Ministers of State (Netherlands) Municipal councillors in Gelderland People from Lochem People from Rheden People with Alzheimer's disease Recipients of the Grand Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria Recipients of the Order of the House of Orange Royal Netherlands Army officers State Secretaries for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands 20th-century Dutch businesspeople 20th-century Dutch diplomats 20th-century Dutch jurists 20th-century Dutch lawyers 20th-century Dutch military personnel 20th-century Dutch politicians 21st-century Dutch businesspeople 21st-century Dutch diplomats 21st-century Dutch jurists 21st-century Dutch politicians