Caspar Cornelis Johannes Veldkamp (born 23 April 1964) is a Dutch politician and former diplomat currently serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Schoof cabinet. Veldkamp previously served as a member of the House of Representatives for the New Social Contract party from December 2023 to July 2024.[1]
Caspar Veldkamp | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).png) 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 Veldkamp |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence(s) | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Alma mater | Erasmus University Rotterdam Leiden University |
| Occupation | |
Career
editVeldkamp 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 a member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's board of directors.[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]
After the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB formed the Schoof cabinet, Veldkamp was sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs on 2 July 2024, succeeding Hanke Bruins Slot.[3][8] In his first days, he attended the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., where he met with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz. Veldkamp announced that the Netherlands will push for the EU to declare Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps a terrorist organization.[9] The cabinet reversed the commitment of its predecessor, made following the 2021 Taliban offensive, to allow Afghan guards of the Dutch embassy and Task Force Uruzgan to relocate to the Netherlands.[10]
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 | [11] | |
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.
- ^ "Ministers en staatssecretarissen kabinet-Schoof beëdigd" [Ministers and state secretaries of Schoof cabinet sworn in]. NOS (in Dutch). 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Katz warns against Iran, China at NATO summit". The Jerusalem Post. 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Kamer achter weigeren groep Afghaanse bewakers" [House supports refusal of group Afghan guards]. NOS (in Dutch). 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 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.