Neelie Kroes
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Neelie Kroes (born 19 July 1941 in Rotterdam) is a Dutch politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Competition. Kroes has an impressive career in both business and politics: After she had been member of parliament and minister for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), Kroes was member of the board of commissioners of a long list of multinationals.
Career before politics
Kroes went to a protestant grammar school in Rotterdam. She continued on a protestant high school. In 1958 she went to study Economy at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. In 1961, Kroes was preses of the R.V.S.V. (the largest Rotterdam Sorority). She was also elected in to the member of the University Council. After graduating in 1965, she became a research fellow at the economic faculty at that university. During this period Kroes was involved in the women's organisation within the VVD.In this period she also was member of the board of Heavy Transporting company "ZwaTra", the company of her father. Kroes was elected member of the Rotterdam city council for the VVD since 1970.Political career
In 1971 she was elected to the lower house of parliament, forcing her to stop her fellowship. In parliament, she became spokesperson for education. She remained a member of parliament until 1977, when she became junior minister of Transport and Waterworks in the First Van Agt Cabinet, responsible for Postal and Telephone Services and Transport. In 1981 she briefly returned to the lower house of parliament, while her party, VVD, was in the opposition. In 1982 she returned to office in the First and Second Lubbers Cabinets, now as the minister for Transport and Waterworks, a post that she held until 1989. As a minister she was responsible for the privatisation of the Post and Telephone Services.After her time as minister Kroes became a member of the Rotterdam Chamber of Commerce, furthermore she served as a board member for Ballast Nedam (shipping), ABP-PGGM (a pension fund), NIB (an investment bank), McDonald's Netherlands, Nedlloyd, and Nederlandse Spoorwegen (the privatized Dutch railroad company).
In 1991 she became chairperson of Nyenrode University, a private business school. During this period Kroes was a member of the Advisory Board of the Prof.Mr. B.M. Teldersstichting, the scientific bureau of VVD.
In 2004 Kroes was appointed the European Commissioner for Competition. Her nomination was heavily criticised because of her ties to big business and alleged involvement in shady arms deals. Kroes has tried to uphold her integrity; whenever she has to deal with issues concerning competition in branches of industry in which she used to be active as a board member, Commissioner McCreevy takes over her responsibilities. As of January 2006 this has happened in five cases.
Kroes has held and still holds many side offices, mainly in cultural and social organisations. She is chairperson of Poets of all Nations, the Delta Psychiatric Hospital and of the board of the Rembrandthuis. Also, she is still a member of several boards of commissioners, for instance at Nedlloyd (a shipping company) and Lucent Technologies (an information and communication technologies company).
Miscellaneous information
- As chairperson of Nijenrode University, Kroes awarded a honorary doctorate to Microsoft founder Bill Gates. As a European Commissioner for Competition one of her first tasks was to investigate alleged unfair trading practices by Microsoft (see European Union Microsoft antitrust case);
- Kroes, a liberal, was married to the social democratic minister and mayor Peper;
- Kroes refused to become minister of Defense in 1988;
- Kroes is Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion since 1981, and Grand Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau since 1989;
- Kroes has received many prizes and awards, she was International Road Federation Man of the Year of 1993;
- Kroes is a confidant of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Kroes persuaded Hirsi Ali to switch allegiances from the social democratic PvdA to the VVD.
External links
- [Official website]
- [link]
- [link]
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