Eimert van Middelkoop
Encyclopedia
Eimert van Middelkoop is a Dutch
politician of the ChristianUnion
(CU) party.
From 2007 till 2010 he was Minister of Defence
in the Cabinet Balkenende IV. In 2010 he also served as the Minister of Housing, Communities and Integration (Wonen, Wijken en Integratie).
were he obtained a B.A.
in sociology
in 1971. In the years 1971 and 1972 he was a teacher at the Reformed Social Academy in Zwolle
. He was exempted from military draft on the basis of 'personal indispensability'.
. As a parliamentarian he was specialised in foreign and military affairs. He initiated a special committee investigation concerning the role of the Netherlands
in the fall of Srebrenica
. However, Van Middelkoop lost his seat in the House of Representatives because during the 2002 elections the ChristianUnion Tineke Huizinga
, the highest-ranked woman on the candidate list did get enough preference votes.
From 2003 until 2007 Van Middelkoop was a member of the Senate. In the 2006 elections the party doubled its seats and joined the fourth Balkenende cabinet. Van Middelkoop became Minister of Defence
in 2007.
that he would have been very unhappy if he would have join the army. Because of this - and other - remarks he received a lot of criticism from military labour-unions who said that Van Middelkoop lost his credibility.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
politician of the ChristianUnion
ChristianUnion
The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the...
(CU) party.
From 2007 till 2010 he was Minister of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary...
in the Cabinet Balkenende IV. In 2010 he also served as the Minister of Housing, Communities and Integration (Wonen, Wijken en Integratie).
Early life
After high school Van Middelkoop attended, what is now called, the Erasmus UniversityErasmus University
Erasmus University Rotterdam is a university in the Netherlands, located in Rotterdam. The university is named after Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, a 15th century humanist and theologian...
were he obtained a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
in 1971. In the years 1971 and 1972 he was a teacher at the Reformed Social Academy in Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
. He was exempted from military draft on the basis of 'personal indispensability'.
Politics
In 1989 Van Middelkoop became a member of the House of Representatives. At first for the Reformed Political Alliance and since the year 2000 for the ChristianUnion, a party who came forth out of the fusion between the Reformed Political Alliance and Reformatory Political FederationReformatory Political Federation
The Reformatory Political Federation was a minor Protestant Christian political party in the Netherlands.-History:The RPF was founded in 1975 by three groups of orthodox Christians...
. As a parliamentarian he was specialised in foreign and military affairs. He initiated a special committee investigation concerning the role of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in the fall of Srebrenica
Srebrenica massacre
The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, refers to the July 1995 killing, during the Bosnian War, of more than 8,000 Bosniaks , mainly men and boys, in and around the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by units of the Army of Republika Srpska under the command of...
. However, Van Middelkoop lost his seat in the House of Representatives because during the 2002 elections the ChristianUnion Tineke Huizinga
Tineke Huizinga
Johanna Catharina Huizinga-Heringa is a former Dutch politician. She was a Member of Parliament for the ChristianUnion from 2002 to 2007. From 2007 till 2010 she was a Secretary of State and in 2010 Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning.Huizinga grew up in Amersfoort; both of her parents...
, the highest-ranked woman on the candidate list did get enough preference votes.
From 2003 until 2007 Van Middelkoop was a member of the Senate. In the 2006 elections the party doubled its seats and joined the fourth Balkenende cabinet. Van Middelkoop became Minister of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary...
in 2007.
Trivia
In September 2008 he told the Dutch opinion magazine Vrij NederlandVrij Nederland
Vrij Nederland is a Dutch magazine which was established during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II as an underground newspaper but has since grown into a magazine. The weekly magazine is generally considered to be intellectually left-wing...
that he would have been very unhappy if he would have join the army. Because of this - and other - remarks he received a lot of criticism from military labour-unions who said that Van Middelkoop lost his credibility.