Diederik Samsom
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Diederik Maarten Samsom (; born 10 July 1971) is a Dutch environmentalist and retired politician who was the leader of the Labour Party (''Partij van de Arbeid'', PvdA) from 2012 to 2016. He was the first leader in the 70-year history of the PvdA to have been voted out of his position by party members. He later served as head of cabinet for First Vice-President of the European Commission
Frans Timmermans Franciscus Cornelis Gerardus Maria Timmermans (; born 6 May 1961) is a Dutch politician who served as Executive Vice President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal and European Commissioner for Climate Action in the von der ...
and his successor Wopke Hoekstra. Elected to the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
between 30 January 2003 and 14 December 2016, he was elected PvdA
parliamentary leader A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislature, legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. ...
as well as
party leader In a governmental system, a party leader acts as the official representative of their political party, either to a legislature or to the electorate. Depending on the country, the individual colloquially referred to as the "leader" of a politica ...
on 16 March 2012. He lost the Labour Party leadership election to
Lodewijk Asscher Lodewijk Frans Asscher (; born 27 September 1974) is a Dutch politician and jurist who served as Leader of the Labour Party (PvdA) from 2016 to 2021 and parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives from 2017 to 2021. Asscher worked as a ...
in December 2016. Before his election to the House of Representatives he was
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of a green energy company and a campaigner for Greenpeace Netherlands.


Early life and career

Diederik Maarten Samsom was born on 10 July 1971 in
Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. He was raised in
Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; ; ; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provin ...
. His father worked as an
internist Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of th ...
and his mother as a
physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...
. Between 1983 and 1989, he attended the Stedelijk Gymnasium (Municipal Gymnasium) in
Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; ; ; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provin ...
. There he became interested in physics, and later he went on to study
applied physics Applied physics is the application of physics to solve scientific or engineering problems. It is usually considered a bridge or a connection between physics and engineering. "Applied" is distinguished from "pure" by a subtle combination of fac ...
at
Delft University of Technology The Delft University of Technology (TU Delft; ) is the oldest and largest Dutch public university, public Institute of technology, technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. It specializes in engineering, technology, computing, design, a ...
. Samsom specialised in
nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies th ...
and became a level three radiation protection expert. He graduated in May 1997, obtaining a Dutch
engineer's degree An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering which is conferred in Europe, some countries of Asia and Latin America, North Africa and a few institutions in the United States. The degree may require a thesis but always require ...
().The title "ir." is like the international engineer's degree. He was also on the board of the national students' union LSVb and edited a yearly edition of the ''Poenboek'', a students' guide relating to monetary issues. Samsom had been involved in environmental issues long before entering politics. Samsom joined environmental organisation Greenpeace Netherlands in September 1995 as a volunteer. He led several campaigns and projects until he resigned in December 2001, after the PvdA offered him a career in politics. He also worked as the CEO of Echte Energie (Real Energy), a small
green energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Definitions of sustainable energy usually look at its effects on the environment, the economy, and so ...
trading company, from August 2002 until January 2003.


Political career

Samsom became a member of the
social democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...
Labour party while a student in
Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...
. He left the party but rejoined in February 2001. He stood as a candidate in the
2002 Dutch general election General elections were held in the Netherlands on 15 May 2002.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1396 The elections were amongst the most dramatic in Dutch history, not just in terms of the electoral ...
, but was not elected due to the PvdA receiving insufficient votes in the election. The party regained most of its seats in the 2003 election and this time Samsom had a higher position (nine) on the list of candidates. He was subsequently sworn in as a member of the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
on 30 January 2003.


Red Engineer

Together with fellow PvdA parliamentarians Staf Depla and
Jeroen Dijsselbloem Jeroen René Victor Anton Dijsselbloem (; born 29 March 1966) is a Dutch politician and economist serving as Mayor of Eindhoven since 13 September 2022, succeeding John Jorritsma ( VVD). A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), he has also been Cha ...
he traveled around the country campaigning. They operated under the name ''The Red Engineers'' (), referring to both their scientific backgrounds and their red overalls. NRC newspaper editor Coen van Zwol called their campaign ''fresh, clear and sharp'' (Dutch: fris, helder en scherp).


Parliamentarian

Before being admitted as the leader of the Labour party, Samsom was the party's spokesperson on environmental issues:
sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...
,
climate and energy In the 21st century, the Earth's climate and its energy policy interact and their relationship is studied and governed by a variety of national and international institutions. The relationships between energy-resource depletion, climate change, ...
,
traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s, resulting in m ...
and railway issues and projects. He was nineteenth on the list of candidates in the
2006 Dutch general election General elections were held in the Netherlands on 22 November 2006, following the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet. The election proved relatively successful for the Third Balkenende cabinet, governing Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) which ...
s receiving a relative high number of 6248 preferential votes.


2008 parliamentary chair election

In April 2008, Samsom was a candidate to succeed Jacques Tichelaar as parliament party leader, but eventually he lost the vote to
Mariëtte Hamer Mariëtte Iris Hamer (born 7 June 1958) is a Dutch politician and trade union leader serving as commissioner for combating inappropriate behavior and sexual violence since 2022. A member of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA), she ...
. Jacques Tichelaar became the leader of the parliamentary party shortly after the 2006 general election in February 2007 but fell ill in January 2008. He underwent a septuple bypass surgery and this took him three months to recuperate. On 16 April, he announced he had decided to resign from office for health reasons. Tichelaar planned to return as a parliamentarian on 1 July 2008. As vice parliamentary leader Hamer had led the party in Tichelaar's absence. The next day she decided to run for office. Three days later, Samsom officially announced that he would also compete in the race. Other names were mentioned, but only Samsom and Hamer decided to vie for the position. All 33 PvdA parliamentarians gathered two days later to discuss the position and cast their votes, resulting in a victory for Hamer. According to pollster
Maurice de Hond Maurice de Hond (born 8 October 1947) is a Dutch pollster and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the Steve JobsSchool, an elementary school which gives each student an iPad to encourage individualized learning. As of 2016, 35 public schools in th ...
, a majority of the 2006 Labour voters preferred Samsom as party leader. Out of a total of 1,500 Labour voters, 26% favoured Hamer while 42% liked Samsom better. In this poll, of the people who indicated that they would vote for the PvdA in the future, a small majority of 40 to 35 preferred Samsom.


Party leadership

On 22 February 2012, following
Job Cohen Marius Job Cohen (born 18 October 1947) is a retired Dutch politician and jurist who served as List of mayors of Amsterdam, Mayor of Amsterdam from 2001 to 2010 and Leader of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Leader of the Labour Party (PvdA) from ...
's resignation as party leader, Samsom stood as candidate in the party's leadership ballot which was held among the party members. On 16 March 2012, he obtained a landslide victory with 54% of the vote, with the runner-up
Ronald Plasterk Ronald Hans Anton Plasterk (; born 12 April 1957) is a Dutch retired politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). He has a PhD degree in biology, specialising in molecular genetics. He is founder and CEO of Frame Cancer Therapeutics. He was appointed ...
receiving 32% of the vote. Samsom stated he would like to become
prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
should the PvdA become the largest party, or otherwise continue his role of
chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
of his party in the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer).


Rutte II: coalition government

In the 2012 general election the PvdA, under Samsom's leadership, gained 8 seats and totaled at 38 seats in the Tweede Kamer. After a swift negotiations the PvdA, as second largest party, entered into a coalition with the largest party the VVD. Samsom remained chairman of the PvdA in the Tweede Kamer and
Lodewijk Asscher Lodewijk Frans Asscher (; born 27 September 1974) is a Dutch politician and jurist who served as Leader of the Labour Party (PvdA) from 2016 to 2021 and parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives from 2017 to 2021. Asscher worked as a ...
became vicepremier and minister for Social Affairs and Employment on behalf of the PvdA.


EU-Turkey refugee deal

During the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union in early 2016, Diederik Samsom is credited with masterminding a key provision in the deal between the EU and Turkey. The deal aimed to mitigate the mounting humanitarian crisis in the refugee camps on the Greek islands. Under the provision, for every Syrian refugee being returned to Turkey from the Greek islands, another Syrian would be resettled from Turkey to the EU.


2017 elections: resignation

Polls suggest that the Labour party lost most of its electoral base while Samsom was in charge. On 9 December 2016 Samson lost the leadership of the Labour Party in an election against
Lodewijk Asscher Lodewijk Frans Asscher (; born 27 September 1974) is a Dutch politician and jurist who served as Leader of the Labour Party (PvdA) from 2016 to 2021 and parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives from 2017 to 2021. Asscher worked as a ...
. He obtained 45,5% of the vote. Samson resigned from the House of Representatives on 14 December, and was replaced by
Rien van der Velde Rink "Rien" van der Velde (born 21 February 1957) is a Dutch politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands for the Labour Party between 25 October 2016 and 23 March 2017. He entered the House as a temporary repla ...
. Attje Kuiken took over the role of group leader of the Labour Party in the House of Representatives on 12 December.


European Commission and years after

In November 2019, Samsom became head of cabinet for
Frans Timmermans Franciscus Cornelis Gerardus Maria Timmermans (; born 6 May 1961) is a Dutch politician who served as Executive Vice President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal and European Commissioner for Climate Action in the von der ...
, First Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Climate Action. Wopke Hoekstra succeeded Timmermans in the latter role in late 2023, while Samson stayed on. Samson stepped down in February 2024 as head of cabinet and was succeeded by Esther de Lange. He became chair of the supervisory board of state-owned natural gas infrastructure and transportation company
Gasunie N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie (short form: Gasunie) is a Dutch natural gas infrastructure and transportation company operating in the Netherlands and Germany. Gasunie owns the Netherlands gas transmission network with a total length of over and long ...
in July 2024, saying that he wanted to help execute the
renewable energy transition An energy transition (or energy system transformation) is a major structural change to energy supply and consumption in an energy system. Currently, a transition to sustainable energy is underway to limit climate change. Most of the sustainab ...
. He failed to inform the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
of his new position as is required to prevent
conflicts of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates to situations in whi ...
, but the body finally allowed the appointment of Samson under certain conditions.


Media appearances

NRC newspaper referred to Samsom as ''quizking'' after he won his fifth televised game show. Particularly notable are his consecutive victories in the 2005 and 2006 National IQ Tests. According to the test, he has an IQ of 136. He also won the popular '' National News Quiz'' in 2005 and 2006 and in May 2008 he was crowned winner of the ''Big History Quiz''.


Personal life

Samsom was raised in a
non-religious Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ration ...
family and considers himself an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
. He is a non smoker and observes a
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
diet. Samsom divorced in 2016 and has two children. Samsom mentioned them in several political debates and interviews in a for the Netherlands unprecedented and criticized way, including drawing attention to his daughter's disability. He also involved his private life and family in his 2012
electoral campaign A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referen ...
, most notably by featuring his two children in an official party TV advertisement. Samsom lived on a
houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily for regular dwelling. Most houseboats are not motorized, as they are usually moored or kept stationary, fixed at a Berth (moorings), berth, and often tethered to ...
in
Broek in Waterland Broek in Waterland is a village in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands, with a population of about 2,745 inhabitants as of 2021. It is a part of the municipality of Waterland, and is situated about 8 km s ...
with his ex-wife (then girlfriend) and daughter before moving to
Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...
, where he still resides as of 2012. In a 2012 interview with Marie Claire, Samsom admitted that before his marriage he had been unfaithful "''perhaps once or twice''".


References


External links

*
Diederik Samsom
at the website of the Labour Party *
Diederik Samsom
at the website of the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
*
parlement.com biography
* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Samsom, Diederik 1971 births Anti-globalization activists Delft University of Technology alumni Dutch activists Dutch atheists Dutch chief executives 21st-century Dutch engineers Dutch environmentalists Dutch nuclear physicists Labour Party (Netherlands) politicians Living people Dutch MPs 2012–2017 Leaders of the Labour Party (Netherlands) People associated with Greenpeace Politicians from Groningen (city) People from Leeuwarden Dutch MPs 2006–2010 Dutch MPs 2010–2012 Dutch MPs 2017–2021