French
DeutschCaspar Veldkamp
Caspar Veldkamp | |
|---|---|
 Veldkamp in 2024 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Assumed office 2 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Dick Schoof |
| Preceded by | Hanke Bruins Slot |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 6 December 2023 – 2 July 2024 | |
| Ambassador of the Netherlands to Greece | |
| In office 2015–2019 | |
| Ambassador of the Netherlands to Israel | |
| In office 2011–2015 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Caspar Cornelis Johannes Veldkamp 23 April 1964 Etten-Leur, Netherlands |
| Political party | New Social Contract (2023–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Christian Democratic Appeal (formerly) |
| Spouse | Anne |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence(s) | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Alma mater | Erasmus University Rotterdam Leiden University |
| Occupation | |
Caspar Cornelis Johannes Veldkamp (born 23 April 1964) is a Dutch politician and former diplomat currently serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Veldkamp previously served as a member of the House of Representatives for the New Social Contract party from December 2023 to July 2024.[1]
Career[edit]
Veldkamp started working as a policy officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993.[2] He later had postings in Warsaw, Washington, DC, Brussels, and London, and he served as Ambassador of the Netherlands to Israel (2011–2015) and to Greece (2015–2019).[3][4] In the latter role, he cooperated with Minister of Finance and Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem on the Greek government-debt crisis. His last diplomatic position was as Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.[3]
Veldkamp was a long-time member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) before he joined New Social Contract (NSC) to participate in the 2023 general election.[3][5] During the campaign, Veldkamp said to be critical of the "transfer of powers" towards the European Union (EU). He presented the newly-founded party he joined as an "optimistic party for the dissatisfied citizen".[6] He was elected to the House of Representatives, where his focus as a parliamentarian has been on foreign affairs and migration.[7]
He was nominated in June 2024 to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the new Schoof cabinet. On 2 July 2024 Veldkamp succeeded Hanke Bruins Slot as Minister of Foreign Affairs.[3][8]
Electoral history[edit]
| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 2023 | House of Representatives | New Social Contract | 4 | 2,386 | 20 | Won | [9] | |
References[edit]
- ^ "Caspar Veldkamp". Nieuw Sociaal Contract (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 June 2024.
- ^ Derix, Steven; Van den Dool, Pim; Stokmans, Derk; Vermeer, Oscar; Klumpenaar, Sjoerd; König, Eppo; Pelgrim, Christiaan; Bouwman, Boris (13 June 2024). "Van diplomaat tot Boer zoekt Vrouw-kandidaat: dit zijn de beoogde ministers van het kabinet-Schoof" [From diplomat to Farmer Wants Wife contender: These are the ministers-designate of the Schoof cabinet]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Oud-ambassadeur Veldkamp wordt minister Buitenlandse Zaken" [Former Ambassador Veldkamp will become Minister of Foreign Affairs]. NOS (in Dutch). 13 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ Van Slooten, Bert (27 September 2023). "Wie is Omtzigts kandidaat Caspar Veldkamp?". Brusselse Nieuwe (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Drs. C.C.J. (Caspar) Veldkamp". www.parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Wolzak, Martine (26 September 2023). "Nummer vier lijst-Omtzigt: 'Mijn collega's vinden Kamerlidmaatschap geen promotie'". Het Financieele Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Woordvoerderschappen Nieuw Sociaal Contract" [New Social Contract spokespersonships] (PDF). New Social Contract (in Dutch). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Minister Veldkamp: Minder ambassades sluiten en minder bezuinigen". bnr.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023" [Report of the results of the election of the House of Representatives on 4 December 2023] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 4 December 2023. pp. 185–186. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
