Wikipedia

Dick Schoof

Hendrikus Wilhelmus Maria "Dick" Schoof (Dutch: [ɦɛnˈdrikʏs ʋɪlˈɦɛlmʏs maˈrijaː dɪk sxoːf] ⓘ; born 8 March 1957) is a Dutch civil servant and politician serving as the prime minister of the Netherlands in the Schoof cabinet since 2 July 2024.[2]

Dick Schoof
Schoof in 2024
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Incumbent
Assumed office
2 July 2024
MonarchWillem-Alexander
DeputyFleur Agema
Sophie Hermans
Eddy van Hijum
Mona Keijzer
Preceded byMark Rutte
Government offices
Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice and Security
In office
1 March 2020 – 28 May 2024
Preceded bySiebe Riedstra [nl]
Succeeded byAnneke van Dijk [nl]
Director-General of the General Intelligence and Security Service
In office
16 November 2018 – 1 March 2020
Preceded byRob Bertholee
Succeeded byErik Akerboom [nl]
National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism
In office
1 March 2013 – 16 November 2018
Preceded byErik Akerboom
Succeeded byPieter-Jaap Aalbersberg [nl]
Chief Director of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service
In office
1 December 1999 – 1 March 2003
Preceded byJ. G. Bos
Succeeded byP. W. A. Veld
Personal details
Born
Hendrikus Wilhelmus Maria Schoof

(1957-03-08) 8 March 1957 (age 67)
Santpoort, Netherlands
Political partyIndependent (2021–present)
Other political
affiliations		Labour Party (until 2021)[a]
Spouse
Yolanda Senf
​
(divorced)​
Domestic partnerLoes Meurs
Children2
ResidenceZoetermeer
Alma materRadboud University (MSc)
Occupation

Schoof previously served as secretary-general of the Ministry of Justice and Security from 2020 to 2024, as director-general of the General Intelligence and Security Service from 2018 to 2020, and as National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism from 2013 to 2018.

Early life and education

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Hendrikus Wilhelmus Maria Schoof was born on 8 March 1957 in Santpoort into a Roman Catholic family as the second youngest of seven children (six sons and one daughter).[2][3][4][5]

Schoof's father was a municipal civil servant, including for social services.[5][6] At the age of eight, he moved with his family to Hengelo, where he attended Lyceum De Grundel.[7] From 1975 to 1982, he studied urban and regional planning at Radboud University.[3] He was a member of its rowing-oriented student association Phocas and served as its chair.[8]

Career

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Civil service

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Schoof began his career as a policy advisor on education at the Association of Netherlands Municipalities,[8] and became a civil servant at the Ministry of Education and Sciences in 1988.[3] He helped dissolve the primary school construction department, which he headed, under State Secretary Jacques Wallage.[9] He helped broker a compromise between the Christian Democratic Appeal and the Labour Party when both parties disagreed whether schools or municipalities should be responsible for the maintenance of school buildings.[5]

From 1996, Schoof held various senior positions in the field of security.[10] He served as deputy secretary-general at the Ministry of Security and Justice before being appointed chief director of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) in 1999.[3][11] The Netherlands was experiencing a relatively high influx of asylum seekers as a result of the Kosovo War, and the organization had a significant backlog of requests. Schoof was responsible for implementing reforms to the Aliens Act by State Secretary for Justice Job Cohen in 2001 that simplified the asylum procedure, and he worked to deport applicants that did not qualify. The number of asylum applications declined, which Schoof attributed to stricter migration policies. A later evaluation concluded that legislation had a more limited impact, suggesting that external factors were the primary drivers of the drop.[12] Schoof left the IND to become director-general for public order and safety at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in 2003, where he was in charge of restructuring the police force from a number of regional organisations into a single National Police Corps.[13]

 
Schoof during a meeting with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2022

After serving as director-general at the Ministry of Security and Justice (from 2010 to 2013), Schoof was appointed National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV).[10] He allowed his employees to monitor potential terrorists on social media through fake profiles despite warnings from his attorneys.[5] Following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, he coordinated the Dutch crisis response, strengthening his relationship with Prime Minister Mark Rutte. When Schoof requested an independent investigation by Twente University into the performance of his office, he was accused of interfering. He exerted pressure to soften its main conclusion.[6][9][14][15] Schoof led the General Intelligence and Security Service as director-general from 2018 to 2020.[10] De Volkskrant wrote that his relatively short tenure was characterized by a culture clash. Schoof unsuccessfully tried to make the agency more outward facing, including through cooperations with institutions and universities. In 2019, he warned the education ministry and the municipality of Amsterdam that supporters of the Salafi movement were on the board of an Islamic school. His message was perceived as a way to assert pressure, and it received criticism for stirring up polarisation.[5][16]

In December 2019, it was announced that Schoof would succeed Siebe Riedstra as secretary-general of the Ministry of Justice and Security, the most senior non-political position within the ministry.[14][17][18] The appointment took effect on 1 March 2020.[19] In his role, he was involved in negotiations on asylum reform that led to the collapse of the fourth Rutte cabinet in July 2023. Upon reaching the legal retirement age in March 2024, Schoof chose not to retire and was granted an exemption to continue working for three more years.[8]

Prime minister

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Schoof with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in 2024.
See also: Schoof cabinet

Schoof was a passive member of the Labour Party (PvdA) for over 30 years, until he left the party in early 2021.[6][20] On 16 May 2024, the PVV presented a right-wing coalition agreement with the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), New Social Contract (NSC), and the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB).[21] As part of the negotiations, the four party leaders agreed none of them would serve as prime minister.[22] The PVV had initially proposed Ronald Plasterk for the position, but he withdrew from consideration due to accusations of fraud.[23][24] Schoof was subsequently nominated for the office of prime minister on 28 May 2024 by the coalition parties under formateur Richard van Zwol.[23][25] He was sworn in on 2 July by King Willem-Alexander as part of the Schoof cabinet.[26] A debate two days later in the House of Representatives about the cabinet's government policy statement was characterized by media outlets as chaotic. Schoof's defence against accusations of racism directed at cabinet members was described as "lame" (slappe hap) by PVV leader Geert Wilders, and the debate was later suspended to allow Schoof to rebuke health minister Fleur Agema (PVV) for disrupting the debate through a live-tweet.[27]

Schoof presented the cabinet's governing agreement on 13 September 2024, expanding on the outline of the coalition agreement. It reiterated the cabinet's intention to declare an asylum crisis, bypassing initial parliamentary approval.[28] Schoof stated that citizens were experiencing an asylum crisis but admitted he was unable to specify conditions or a timeline for its resolution.[29] When documents by civil servants indicated that using emergency powers lacked legal justification, Nicolien van Vroonhoven (NSC) raised concerns, while Wilders warned that the cabinet could face trouble if an emergency law was not enacted.[30][31] Schoof subsequently facilitated negotiations between the coalition parties, and an agreement on asylum measures was reached in October 2024 that excluded the use of emergency powers.[32][33]

Political positions

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Schoof was a rank and file member of the social-democrat PvdA for thirty years before resigning his membership and stating he no longer felt aligned to the party's views. When nominated for the role of Prime Minister by Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV), Schoof stressed that he would perform the role of Prime Minister as a non-partisan politician and not join the PVV, but said he shared similar stances on immigration, asylum and refugees, social security, farmers and international security to the parties of his cabinet.[34][35]

During a 2017 interview with WNL Schoof expressed criticism of the Kick Out Zwarte Piet (KOZP) organisation and described it as a movement "that could potentially become extremist and therefore use violence" as an explanation as to why it had been included in the annual Terrorist Threat Assessment Netherlands document prepared by the Dutch security service. After a complaint by KOZP, the group was downgraded to an activist organisation in 2019, but was categorized as a Polarisatie (polarizing) group in reports for some of its methods.[36][37] In 2019, Schoof argued that Salafi movements were seeking to influence Islamic schools in Amsterdam.[5][38]

Following the general election victory of the PVV and Geert Wilders in November 2023, Schoof called it a signal of distrust towards the government in an interview. He said that the public could not have been wrong about their concerns if they voted for the PVV in such large numbers.[9]

Following his appointment as Prime Minister, Schoof pledged he would take a tougher stance on immigration, arguing "Migration puts too much pressure on social services and social cohesion. The asylum and migration figures are high and so is the pressure on society" and said he would enact laws to scrap family migration and limit the number of foreign students in the Netherlands.[39]

Personal life

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Schoof lives in Zoetermeer with his partner, Loes Meurs, who is a psychologist active in The Hague and a former policy advisor for the Custodial Institutions Agency.[40][41] Schoof and his ex-wife, Yolanda Senf, share two daughters who were adopted from China.[6][42] He enjoys running, having completed his first marathon in 1987 and his 18th marathon in 2024.[8][43] As prime minister, he completed a half marathon in Amsterdam in 1:53:00 under the alias "Peter Jansen".[44] Schoof's older brother Nico Schoof is a former mayor of the municipalities of Akersloot, Limmen, Heiloo and Alphen aan den Rijn for the Democrats 66 party.[4][5][45] Schoof is a Catholic.[46]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ According to Parlement.com, he was a member for 'more than 30 years'. The exact time is not specified[1]

References

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  1. ^ "Drs. H.W.M. (Dick) Schoof". Parlement.com.
  2. ^ a b Blacquière, Jan; Bovenkamp, Niels van den (28 May 2024). "Geboren katholiek, die door de jaren heen krasjes opliep. Wie is Dick Schoof, de beoogd premier?". Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Harreveld, Mark van; Verbeek, Julian (28 May 2024). "Dit weten we over Dick Schoof, de premierskandidaat van PVV, VVD, NSC & BBB". BNR Nieuwsradio (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Drs. H.W.M. (Dick) Schoof". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Hofs, Yvonne (28 May 2024). "Dick Schoof: topambtenaar met rijke ervaring die steun en toeverlaat was van ministers en premier Rutte" [Dick Schoof: High-ranking official with extensive experience who was the support of ministers and Prime Minister Rutte]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Hartog, Tobias den; Keultjes, Hanneke; Verweij, Elodie (28 May 2024). "'Dick Donder' en 'Lachende moordenaar': met Dick Schoof krijgt Nederland premier die stiekem best op Rutte lijkt". Het Parool (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  7. ^ "De Hengelose roots van beoogd premier Dick Schoof: 'Bij thuiskomst zag ik allemaal gemiste oproepen en appjes'". 1Twente (in Dutch). 28 May 2024. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "Dick Schoof zeer ervaren op gebied van justitie en asiel" [Dick Schoof particularly experienced on matters of justice and asylum]. NOS (in Dutch). 28 May 2024. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Kabel, David (28 May 2024). "IJdele technocraat met enorm netwerk kan rekenen op vertrouwen van Wilders" [Vain technocrat with an enormous network is trusted by Wilders]. Het Financieele Dagblad (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "Dick Schoof". Follow the Money (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  11. ^ Adriaanse, Mark Lievisse (19 December 2019). "AIVD-baas Schoof gaat Justitie leiden". NRC (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  12. ^ Van den Berg, Jurre (4 June 2024). "Premier Schoof krijgt met asiel een vrijwel onmogelijke klus, weet oud-IND-directeur Schoof" [Prime Minister Schoof will be asked to do the impossible for asylum, according to IND director Schoof]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  13. ^ Keken, Kim van (11 October 2017). "Reconstructie: hoe bij de schepping van de nationale politie alle waarschuwingen werden genegeerd". De Groene Amsterdammer (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Insider Schoof moet rust brengen op Justitie en Veiligheid". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). 20 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Kamer eist opheldering na bemoeienis Schoof bij MH17-onderzoek: 'Absolute no go'". RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 8 February 2019. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  16. ^ Hendrickx, Frank; Modderkolk, Huib (1 June 2024). "Ingewijden over de beoogde premier Dick Schoof: 'Er komt wel een mannetje binnen, met een bepaalde energie'" [Insiders about prime minister-designate Dick Schoof: 'A particular guy is entering, with a particular vibe']. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  17. ^ Adriaanse, Mark Lievisse (19 December 2019). "AIVD-baas Schoof gaat Justitie leiden". NRC (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Dick Schoof vertrekt als directeur van de AIVD". BeveiligingNieuws (in Dutch). 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  19. ^ "Dick Schoof benoemd tot secretaris-generaal JenV". Rijksoverheid (in Dutch). 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  20. ^ "Schoof: ik ben niet de PVV-premier, ik ben gevraagd door vier partijen". NOS.nl (in Dutch). 27 May 2024. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Coalitieakkoord bekend: partijen willen met 'hoop, lef en trots' problemen aanpakken" [Coalition agreement released: Parties want to tackle issues with 'hope, courage, and pride']. NOS (in Dutch). 16 May 2024. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  22. ^ Goot, Edo van der (13 March 2024). "Wilders geeft premierschap op, leiders PVV, VVD, NSC en BBB niet in kabinet" [Wilders surrenders position of prime minister, leaders of PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB not in cabinet]. NU.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Topambtenaar Dick Schoof (ex-AIVD, ex-NCTV) kandidaat-premier" [High-ranking official Dick Schoof (former AIVD and NCTV) nominated as prime minister]. NOS (in Dutch). 28 May 2024. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Partijleiders nu definitief akkoord • Presentatie verschoven naar vanochtend" [Party leaders definitively in agreement • Presentation postponed to this morning]. NOS (in Dutch). 16 May 2024. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  25. ^ Kroet, Cynthia (29 May 2024). "Who is Dick Schoof and why did Geert Wilders choose him as new PM?". euronews. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  26. ^ "New Dutch Cabinet sworn in today 7 months after election". NL Times. 2 July 2024. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Zware klappen voor Schoof in chaotisch debat waarin hij vrijwel alleen komt te staan" [Heavy hits for Schoof in chaotic debate in which he became isolated]. NOS (in Dutch). 4 July 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  28. ^ "Kabinet ambitieus over asiel en bouwen, maar stuit bij mest op grenzen" [Cabinet ambitious on asylum and construction, but is constrained on manure]. NOS (in Dutch). 13 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  29. ^ Oost, Georgia (13 September 2024). "Mensen ervaren een asielcrisis, zegt Schoof, maar wanneer die crisis voorbij is? Dat kan hij niet zeggen" [People are experiencing an asylum crisis, according to Schoof, but when will this crisis be over? He could not say]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  30. ^ "Kamer in de ban van ambtelijk advies over noodwet voor asiel" [House gripped by official advise about emergency asylum law]. NOS (in Dutch). 19 September 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  31. ^ "Wilders voert druk over asielnoodwet op" [Wilders increases pressure over asylum emergency act]. Het Financieele Dagblad (in Dutch). 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  32. ^ "Akkoord PVV, VVD, NSC en BBB over 'asieldeal', vandaag presentatie" [Agreement PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB on 'asylum deal', presentation today]. NOS (in Dutch). 25 October 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  33. ^ Valk, Guus; Van de Veen, Liam (23 October 2024). "PVV en NSC bereiken alsnog een compromis over asielbeleid, noodwet van tafel" [PVV and NSC compromise on asylum policy after all, no emergency law]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  34. ^ "Who is Dick Schoof and why did Geert Wilders choose him as new PM?". Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  35. ^ "Who is Dick Schoof? 8 things to know about the new Dutch PM". Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  36. ^ "Terreurbestrijder: 'We maken ons zorgen om Kick Out Zwarte Piet'". Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  37. ^ "NCTV: Kick Out Zwarte Piet geen extremistische organisatie". Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  38. ^ Hendrickx, Frank; Modderkolk, Huib (1 June 2024). "Ingewijden over de beoogde premier Dick Schoof: 'Er komt wel een mannetje binnen, met een bepaalde energie'" [Insiders about prime minister-designate Dick Schoof: 'A particular guy is entering, with a particular vibe']. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  39. ^ "New Dutch leader pledges to cut immigration as the opposition vows to root out racists in cabinet". Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  40. ^ Kleijwegt, Francis (29 May 2024). "Dick Schoof op hardloopschoenen, Zoetermeer kijkt er niet van op". Omroep West (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  41. ^ Verweij, Elodie (11 September 2024). "Dit is de nieuwe 'first lady': de vriendin van Dick Schoof" [This is the new 'first lady': Dick Schoof's girlfriend]. Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  42. ^ Schoof, Dick (28 October 2000). "Hollands Dagboek: Dick Schoof" [Dutch diary: Dick Schoof]. NRC (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  43. ^ Baxmeier, Fleur (29 May 2024). "Beoogd minister-president Dick Schoof liep al 18 marathons" [Prime minister-designate Dick Schoof has walked 18 marathons]. Runner's World (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  44. ^ Markus, Niels (21 October 2024). "'Hee Schoofie!' riepen toeschouwers naar marathondeelnemer Peter Jansen" [Spectators were shouting 'Hi Schoof!' at marathon participant Peter Jansen]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  45. ^ Kouwenhoven, Andreas; Versteegh, Kees (14 February 2015). "Mister Veiligheid neemt alle ruimte". NRC (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  46. ^ Den Hartog, Tobias; Keultjes, Hanneke; Verweij, Elodie (28 May 2024). "'Dick Donder' en 'Lachende moordenaar': met Dick Schoof krijgt Nederland premier die stiekem best op Rutte lijkt". Het Parool. Archived from the original on 18 June 2024.
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  Media related to Dick Schoof at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of the Netherlands
2024–present 		Incumbent
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