Dr. Johan (Sjeng) Kremers (born 10 May 1933) was the
Queen's Commissioner of the Dutch province of
Limburg from 1977 to 1990.
Early life
Kremers was born in
Nieuwenhagen, a village in the province of
Limburg, in the very south of 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 ...
. His father was a
miner who worked 37 years underground in the Laura mine in
Eygelshoven.
From 1951 to 1957 he studied
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
at the Catholic University of Nijmegen (presently known as the
Radboud University Nijmegen). In 1960 he obtained his doctorate in
social sciences
Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...
at the Nijmegen University. He was a scientific research worker at the psychological laboratory of the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...
at
Berkeley in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
from 1960 up to 1961. From 1961 until 1972 he worked at the Catholic University of Nijmegen.
In 1972 Dr. Kremers became a member of the Wetenschappelijke Raad voor het Regeringsbeleid, an independent
think tank
A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
for the Dutch government.
Queen's Commissioner of the province of Limburg
On August 1, 1977 Dr. Kremers was appointed as
Queen's Commissioner of the Dutch province of
Limburg. The province of Limburg was in turmoil then, because of the
government-initiated mine closures.
Unemployment within the province was extremely high, because many miners had been dismissed, but also because of the deteriorating (inter)national economic situation. In 1977 unemployment within the province of Limburg was twice as high as in the Netherlands as a whole.
As Queen's Commissioner Dr. Kremers conducted an active
economic policy
''Economic Policy'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Oxford University Press, Oxford Academic on behalf of the Centre for Economic Policy Research, the Center for Economic Studies (University of Munich), and the Paris Scho ...
to reduce the effects of the mine closures and to push back
unemployment.
The economic restructuring policy for the province of Limburg was aimed at:
*the creation of alternative employment within the already existing chemical factories of the mines.
*the stimulation of new industries.
*the relocation of a number of large government services form the seat of the government in
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
to the province of Limburg.
In 1975 the provincial government commissioned an independent company, the Industriebank LIOF to support existing employment and attract alternative employment. Since 1975 this organization has brought over 100 companies to the province of Limburg.
In 1982 the provincial government drew up a plan to stimulate tourism in South Limburg. The plan was aimed at four specific fields: conference tourism, holiday tourism, water sports and recreational facilities for a day trip. Conference tourism was given a considerable boost with the building of the Maastricht Exhibition and Congress Centre (MECC).
On May 16, 1990 Dr. Kremers resigned as Queen's Commissioner. The economy of the province of Limburg, although still weak, is in line with the national economy. Because of the successful economic policies Dr. Kremers is affectionately known in the province of Limburg as "Der Sjeng".
Later life
After his resignation as Queen's Commissioner Dr. Kremers became vice-chairman of the
Robeco Group, a Dutch
portfolio company. He retired in December 1997.
See also
*
Queen's Commissioner
References
*Jan Derix, ''Limburg'', Eisma Publishers, Leeuwarden.
*Jan Derix, ''Perspectief voor Limburg'', Eisma Publishers, Leeuwarden.
*''Parlement en Politiek'
parlement.com biography Dr. J. Kremers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kremers, Johan
1933 births
Living people
King's and Queen's Commissioners of Limburg
Christian Democratic Appeal politicians
Catholic People's Party politicians
Dutch civil servants
Dutch corporate directors
Dutch psychologists
Dutch republicans
Dutch Roman Catholics
Directors of the Scientific Council for Government Policy
Radboud University Nijmegen alumni
Academic staff of Radboud University Nijmegen
University of California, Berkeley staff
People from Landgraaf