Henk Kamp

Henricus Gregorius Jozeph "Henk" Kamp (Dutch pronunciation: [ɦɛnˈrikəs xreːˈɣoːriəs ˈjoːzəf ɦɛŋk kɑmp];[1] born 23 July 1952) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and nonprofit director.

Henk Kamp
Henk Kamp in 2011
Member of the Social and
Economic Council
Assumed office
1 February 2018
ChairMariëtte Hamer
Minister of Economic Affairs
In office
5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded byMaxime Verhagen
Economic Affairs, Agriculture
and Innovation
Succeeded byEric Wiebes
Economic Affairs and
Climate Policy
Minister of Social Affairs
and Employment
In office
14 October 2010 – 5 November 2012
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded byPiet Hein Donner
Succeeded byLodewijk Asscher
Governor of the
Caribbean Netherlands
In office
1 January 2009 – 10 October 2010
MonarchBeatrix
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byHans Gerritsen
Minister of Defence
In office
12 December 2002 – 22 February 2007
Prime MinisterJan Peter Balkenende
Preceded byBenk Korthals
Succeeded byEimert van Middelkoop
Minister of Housing, Spatial
Planning and the Environment
In office
22 July 2002 – 27 May 2003
Prime MinisterJan Peter Balkenende
Preceded byJan Pronk
Succeeded bySybilla Dekker
Member of the House
of Representatives
In office
30 November 2006 – 18 December 2008
In office
30 January 2003 – 27 May 2003
In office
17 May 1994 – 22 July 2002
Parliamentary groupPeople's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
Personal details
Born
Henricus Gregorius Jozeph Kamp

(1952-07-23) 23 July 1952
Hengelo, Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Political partyPeople's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
(from 1972)
Spouse(s)
Linda Kamp
​
(m. 1975)​
Children1 son and 1 daughter
ResidenceDiepenheim, Netherlands
OccupationPolitician · Civil servant · Corporate director · Nonprofit director · Trade association executive · Salesman · Tax collector

Kamp studied Customs at the Civil Service Academy in Utrecht. Kamp worked as a tax collector for the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) of the Tax and Customs Administration from April 1980 until May 1994. After the election of 1994 Kamp was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives on 17 May 1994 and served as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Integration. After the election of 2002 Kamp was appointed as Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment in the Cabinet Balkenende I taking office on 22 July 2002. The Cabinet Balkenende I fell just 87 days into its term and shortly thereafter was appointed as Minister of Defence following the resignation of Benk Korthals taking office on 12 December 2002. After the election of 2003 Kamp continued as Minister of Defence in the Cabinet Balkenende II. The Cabinet Balkenende fell on 30 June 2006 was replaced with the caretaker Cabinet Balkenende III with Kamp retaining his position. After the election of 2006 Kamp returned to the House of Representatives on 30 November 2006 and served as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Kingdom Relations. In December 2008 Kamp was nominated as the first Governor of the Caribbean Netherlands serving from 1 January 2009 until 10 October 2010.

After the election of 2010 Kamp was appointed as Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the Cabinet Rutte I taking office 14 October 2010. The Cabinet Rutte I fell 18 months into its term and shortly thereafter announced that he would not stand for the election of 2012 but accept to serve in a new cabinet position. After the election Kamp was appointed as Minister of Economic Affairs in the Cabinet Rutte II taking office on 5 November 2012. In February 2016 Kamp announced his retirement and that he wouldn't stand for the election of 2017 and declined to serve in new cabinet.

Kamp retired from active politics at 65 and became active in the private and public sectors as a corporate and non-profit director and serves on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government, and works as a trade association executive serving as Chairman of the Healthcare Providers association since January 2018 and became a Member of the Social and Economic Council for the Industry and Employers confederation (VNO-NCW) in February 2018.

Early life

Henricus Gregorius Jozeph Kamp was born on 23 July 1952 in Hengelo in the Netherlands Province of Overijssel in a Roman Catholic family. He left the Roman Catholic faith years later and became a Humanist. After completing his HAVO diploma he worked at two wholesalers in Enschede, Borculo and Tilburg until 1977. From 1977 to 1980 he attended the auditors training at the Tax Training in Utrecht. He worked as an investigator for the Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD) until 1986.

Politics
United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Minister Henk Kamp at The Pentagon on 17 March 2004.

From 1976 to 1994 he was a member of the municipal council in Borculo. From 1986 he was in also alderman in Borculo. From 1987 to 1994 he was a member of the Provincial Council of Gelderland. He became a Member of the House of Representatives on 17 May 1994. On 22 July 2002, Kamp became Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment. He was Minister of Defence from December 12, 2002 till 22 February 2007. After early elections were held as a result of parliamentary agreements following the formation of the minority cabinet Balkenende III. As part of his "farewell tour" as Minister of Defence, Henk Kamp visited the Dutch troops in Afghanistan and paid his respects to president Hamid Karzai. President Karzai awarded Henk Kamp the High State Medal of Ghazi Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan.[2] Kamp left the House of Representatives on 1 January 2009 to head the transformation of Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius to special municipalities within the Netherlands.

On 13 September 2012, the day after the parliamentary elections, Kamp was asked to prepare for the formation of a new cabinet and had exploratory conversations with several parties. Already on that very day the Parliamentary leaders in the House of Representatives met with the President of the House of Representatives Gerdi Verbeet. His opinion after the talks was to start a formation on a coalition with the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Labour Party with himself and former Leader of the Labour Party Wouter Bos as informateurs. The formation resulted in the forming of the Cabinet Rutte II and Kamp became Minister of Economic Affairs and took office on 5 November 2012. After the resignation of Minister of Security and Justice Ivo Opstelten on 10 March 2015, Kamp became the senior member of the Council of Ministers and the third highest-ranking member after Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher.

Early February 2016 Kamp announced his retirement from national politics as of the 2017 elections.[3]

Decorations
Honours
Ribbon barHonourCountryDateComment
Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II Belgium 15 April 2006
Grand Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown Luxembourg 25 December 2012
Knight Commander of the Order of Merit Germany 12 September 2013
1st Class, Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun Japan 24 October 2014 [4]
Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau Netherlands 14 February 2018 Elevated from Officer (11 April 2007)

References
  1. In isolation, Gregorius is pronounced [ɣreːˈɣoːriəs].
  2. (in English) Minister awards Afghan president clogs, Dutchnews.nl, 13 February 2007
  3. "Henk Kamp kondigt afscheid van Den Haag aan" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  4. (in Japanese) Foreign honours recipients 2014, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, 24 October 2014
Official
Political offices
Preceded by
Jan Pronk		 Minister of Housing, Spatial
Planning and the Environment
2002–2003		 Succeeded by
Sybilla Dekker
Preceded by
Benk Korthals		 Minister of Defence
2003–2007		 Succeeded by
Eimert van Middelkoop
Preceded by
Office established		 Governor of the
Caribbean Netherlands
2009–2010		 Succeeded by
Hans Gerritsen
Preceded by
Piet Hein Donner		 Minister of Social Affairs
and Employment
2010–2012		 Succeeded by
Lodewijk Asscher
Preceded by
Maxime Verhagen
as Minister of Economic Affairs,
Agriculture and Innovation		 Minister of Economic Affairs
2012–2017		 Succeeded by
Eric Wiebes
as Minister of Economic Affairs
and Climate Policy
Business positions
Preceded by
Paul te Riele		 Chairman of the
Supervisory board of the
Twente Hospital Group
2017–present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Guus van Montfort		 Chairman of the
Executive Board of the
Nursing and Home-care
association
2018–present
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