Jakob Gijsbert "Jaap" de Hoop Scheffer (; born 3 April 1948) is a Dutch retired politician, jurist and diplomat who served as the eleventh

Secretary General of NATO The secretary general of NATO is the chief civil servant of the NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an intergovernmental military alliance with 32 member states. The officeholder is an international diplomat responsible for coordinat ...

from January 2004 to August 2009. A member of the

Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( , CDA) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in the Netherlands. Formed as a federation in 1975 by the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary Party, and the Christian Historical ...

(CDA), which he led from March 1997 to October 2001, he served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

from July 2002 until December 2003 under Prime Minister

Jan Peter Balkenende Jan Pieter Balkenende Jr. ( ; born 7 May 1956), commonly known as Jan Peter Balkenende, is a Dutch jurist and politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 to 14 October 20 ...

. De Hoop Scheffer studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

obtaining a

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

degree before he worked as a civil servant and diplomat for the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

and the diplomatic service from October 1976 until June 1986. In the 1986 general election he was elected 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 ...

, where he served a

frontbencher In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then know ...

and spokesperson for foreign and European affairs. After

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 ...

and

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. ...

Enneüs Heerma stepped down De Hoop Scheffer was selected as his successor on 27 March 1997; he was the party's lead candidate for the 1998 general election. Following an internal power struggle with party chairman Marnix van Rij before an upcoming

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

De Hoop Scheffer announced that he was stepping down as leader and would not stand at the election. De Hoop Scheffer continued to be active in politics and was appointed as

in the Balkenende I cabinet taking office on 22 July 2002. The cabinet fell just 87 days into its term. After the 2003 general election De Hoop Scheffer continued his office in the Balkenende II cabinet. In September 2003 De Hoop Scheffer was nominated as the next

serving from 1 January 2004 until 1 August 2009. De Hoop Scheffer retired from active politics at 61 and became active in the private and public sectors as a corporate and non-profit director served on several state commissions and councils and as a occasional diplomat and lobbyist for several economic delegations on behalf of the government, he also worked as a distinguished professor of

International relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

, Diplomatic Practice and Governmental Studies at his alma mater Leiden University from September 2009 until September 2014. He is still involved with his alma mater as a Distinguished Fellow at Leiden University College The Hague. Following his retirement, De Hoop Scheffer continues to be active as an advocate and lobbyist for more

European integration European integration is the process of political, legal, social, regional and economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe, or nearby. European integration has primarily but not exclusively come about through the European Union ...

and improved

Transatlantic relations Transatlantic relations refer to the historic, cultural, political, economic and social relations between countries on both side of the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes it specifically means relationships between the Anglophone North American count ...

. De Hoop Scheffer is known for his abilities as an effective negotiator and skilful manager. De Hoop Scheffer was granted the honorary title of

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

on 22 June 2018 and as of continues to comment on political affairs as a statesman.

Early life

De Hoop Scheffer attended the Ignatius Gymnasium in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

from March 1961 until April 1966 and applied at the

in June 1968 majoring in

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and obtaining a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree in June 1970 before graduating with a

degree in July 1974. De Hoop Scheffer was conscripted in the

Royal Netherlands Air Force The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF; , "Royal Air Force") is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was created in 1953 to succeed its predecessor, the ''Luchtvaartafdeling'' () of the Dutch Army, which was founded ...

serving as a Second lieutenant from August 1974 until September 1976. De Hoop Scheffer worked as a civil servant for the Diplomatic service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from October 1976 until June 1986 as an Attaché in

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

from October 1976 until April 1978 and in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

for the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

delegation from April 1978 until December 1980 and as secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from December 1980 until June 1986.

Political career

Member of the House of Representatives

De Hoop Scheffer was a member of the social liberal Democrats 66 (D66) party from 1979 until 1982 until he became a member of the

(CDA). In the 1986 general election De Hoop Scheffer was elected to the

on 3 June 1986 and served as a frontbencher chairing the parliamentary committees for Development Cooperation and for Foreign Affairs and was spokesperson for foreign affairs, European affairs,

, development cooperation and

development aid Development aid (or development cooperation) is a type of aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political International development, development of developing countries. It is distinguishe ...

Leader of Christian Democratic Appeal (1997–2001)

After the Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal and Parliamentary leader of the CDA in the House of Representatives Enneüs Heerma announced that he was stepping down as leader and parliamentary leader following increasing criticism on his leadership, the CDA leadership approached De Hoop Scheffer as a candidate to succeed him. De Hoop Scheffer accepted and became leader and parliamentary leader on 27 March 1997. For the 1998 general election De Hoop Scheffer served as lead candidate and the CDA suffered a loss, losing 5 seats and now had 29 seats in the House of Representatives. On 1 October 2001 De Hoop Scheffer announced that he was stepping down as leader and parliamentary leader following an internal power struggle with the party chairman Marnix van Rij and that he would not stand for the election of 2002.

Dutch Foreign Minister

The CDA won in the 2002 general elections and played the leading role in the formation of a new coalition government. The new Prime Minister

appointed De Hoop Scheffer as foreign minister in his short-lived first cabinet, a position he retained in the second Balkenende cabinet after the elections of 22 January 2003. In 2003, the foreign policy of the Netherlands was largely determined by De Hoop Scheffer and Balkenende. Its main foreign policy decision was to contribute to

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

, although its formulation ("political" but not "military" support) gave it an ambivalent character. However, 1,100 Dutch servicemen were deployed as part of the Stabilisation Force Iraq in the southern province of Al Muthanna from 2003 till 2005, and two of them were killed in action. In 2003 Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was also the Chairman-in-Office of the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the p ...

NATO Secretary General (2004–2009)

He became the 11th

on 5 January 2004, succeeding Lord Robertson, who held the post from 1999 until 2003. The announcement was made on 22 September 2003. As Secretary General, De Hoop Scheffer urged NATO members to contribute more to NATO operations such as the

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...

in Afghanistan. He "informed a NATO conference that 'NATO troops have to guard pipelines that transport oil and gas that is directed for the West,' and more generally to protect sea routes used by tankers and other 'crucial infrastructure' of the energy system". On 21 June 2007, De Hoop Scheffer attended an economic conference in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

where he encouraged Canada to continue its military mission in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

past its 2009 withdrawal date. He said, "I think more time is necessary to create those conditions for reconstruction and development to go on." His visit coincided with the death of three more Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. "I know how dramatic it is if Canadian soldiers pay the highest price, but I still say, you are there for a good cause." De Hoop Scheffer's comments were made as the Harper government was under pressure by opposition politicians to define the length of Canada's commitment to the mission in Afghanistan. It has been alleged by

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

that Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met Jundallah leader Abdolmalek Rigi while he was visiting

in 2008 amid Iranian accusations that the CIA was backing the terrorist group. This accusation was later denied by NATO. On 21 July 2009 De Hoop Scheffer suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. He underwent

angioplasty Angioplasty, also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure, minimally invasive endovascular surgery, endovascular Medical procedure, procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructe ...

after which he was reported to be in stable condition. His successor,

Anders Fogh Rasmussen Anders Fogh Rasmussen (; born 26 January 1953) is a Danish politician who was the prime minister of Denmark from November 2001 to April 2009 and the Secretary General of NATO, secretary general of NATO from August 2009 to October 2014. He became ...

, took office on 1 August 2009.

Post-political career

On 1 September 2009 De Hoop Scheffer was appointed to the Pieter Kooijmans Chair for Peace, Law and Security at

. The appointment is part-time, and the holder of this chair is appointed for a maximum of three years. In addition, De Hoop Scheffer has held a variety of paid and unpaid positions, including: * Air France–KLM, Independent Member of the Board of Directors * Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT), Member of the International Advisory Board * Friends of Europe, Member of the Board of Trustees * Trilateral Commission, Member of the European Group * Ethics counselor to the cabinet of the Netherlands (starting March 2024)

Honours and awards

Knight of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

(Netherlands, 22 May 2002) * Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Officer

Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands, 12 December 2003) * Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Knight Grand Cross

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands, 6 July 2009, for his services as Secretary General of NATO) * BUL Order Stara planina ribbon

Member 1st Class of the Order of the Balkan Mountains (

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, 2009) *

Recipient of the Grand Order of King Tomislav (

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, 5 February 2009, "for outstanding contribution to strengthening the international position of the Republic of Croatia and the promotion of cooperation between NATO and the Republic of Croatia") * EST Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana - 1st Class BAR

EST Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana - 1st Class BAR

Member 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

, 6 July 2009) * ITA OMRI 2001 GC BAR

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

(

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, 16 February 2009) * Grand Officer of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars () is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is ''Per aspera ad astra'', meaning "Through hardships towards the ...

(

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

, November 2004, for his commitment to a United Europe) * LTU Order of Vytautas the Great - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great (

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, 26 June 2009) * POL Order Zaslugi RP kl1 BAR

Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, 12 March 2009) * Order of the Star of Romania - Ribbon bar

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the Order of Michael the Brave. It is the oldest Order of Romania. It is awarded by the Preside ...

(

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, 10 May 2004) * SVK Rad Bieleho Dvojkriza 1 triedy BAR

Member 1st Class of the Order of the White Double Cross (

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

, 2009) * Recipient of the Order for Exceptional Merits (

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, 2009) *

Honorary Knight Commander of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

(

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, 10 February 2010, for his services to NATO)Hoge Britse ridderorde voor De Hoop Scheffer
- Website www.nu.nl ''(Dutch)''

Notes

References

External links

Living people Businesspeople from Amsterdam Christian Democratic Appeal politicians Democrats 66 politicians Dutch corporate directors Dutch expatriates in Belgium Dutch expatriates in England Dutch expatriates in Ghana Dutch lobbyists Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch nonprofit executives Governmental studies academics Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Grand Crosses of the Order of Vytautas the Great Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Dutch international relations scholars Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Leaders of the Christian Democratic Appeal Leiden University alumni Academic staff of Leiden University Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Ministers of foreign affairs of the Netherlands Ministers of state of the Netherlands Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Politicians from Amsterdam Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class Royal Netherlands Air Force officers Scholars of diplomacy Secretaries general of NATO 20th-century Dutch civil servants 20th-century Dutch diplomats 20th-century Dutch military personnel 20th-century Dutch politicians 21st-century Dutch businesspeople 21st-century Dutch diplomats Diplomats from Amsterdam 21st-century Dutch politicians Christian Democratic Appeal MPs