Wim Kok

Wim Kok
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office August 22, 1994 – July 22, 2002
Monarch	Beatrix
Deputy	See list Hans Dijkstal (I) Hans van Mierlo (I) Annemarie Jorritsma (II) Els Borst (II)
Preceded by	Ruud Lubbers
Succeeded by	Jan Peter Balkenende
Party leader Labour Party
In office July 21, 1986 – December 15, 2001
Preceded by	Joop den Uyl
Succeeded by	Ad Melkert
Minister of Finance
In office November 7, 1989 – August 22, 1994
Prime Minister	Ruud Lubbers
Preceded by	Onno Ruding
Succeeded by	Gerrit Zalm
Deputy Prime Minister
In office November 7, 1989 – August 22, 1994
Prime Minister	Ruud Lubbers
Preceded by	Rudolf de Korte
Succeeded by	Hans Dijkstal Hans van Mierlo
Parliamentary leader – Labour Party House of Representatives
In office July 21, 1986 – November 5, 1989
Preceded by	Joop den Uyl
Succeeded by	Thijs Wöltgens
Member of the House of Representatives
In office June 3, 1986 – November 6, 1989
Personal details
Born	Willem Kok September 29, 1938 (1938-09-29) Bergambacht, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Political party	Labour Party
Spouse(s)	Rita Roukema (b. 1939 m. 1965)
Residence	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Alma mater	Nyenrode Business Universiteit (Dr.h.c.) University of Münster (Dr.h.c.)
Occupation	Politician Lobbyist Trade Union Leader
Religion	Agnosticism
Signature
Website	Club of Madrid

Willem "Wim" Kok (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɪm ˈkɔk] ( listen)); born September 29, 1938) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from August 22, 1994 until July 22, 2002.

He previously served as a Member of the House of Representatives from June 3, 1986 until November 6, 1989. When the Labour Party Party leader and Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives Joop den Uyl retired Kok was chosen to succeed him. He served as Parliamentary leader from July 21, 1986 until November 5, 1989. He was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in the Cabinet Lubbers III from November 7, 1989 until August 22, 1994. After winning the Dutch general election of 1994, Kok became Prime Minister of the Netherlands, leading the Cabinets Kok I and II, comprised by Kok's own Labour Party, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Democrats 66, also known as the Purple Coalitions. During the time of his second cabinet, Kok obtained the status of a statesman by his fellow European leaders.

After his premiership, Kok retired from active politics and became a lobbyist for the European Union. He is the current president of the Club of Madrid. This organization promotes democracy and change in the global community. Members of the club or former heads of state and government.

On April 11, 2003, he was granted the honorary title of Minister of State.

Early life

Wim Kok as Trade Union Leader in 1977.

Wim Kok and then Labour Party party leader Joop den Uyl in 1982.

Wim Kok and then President of Russia Vladimir Putin in 2001.

Wim Kok and Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte in 2011.

Willem Kok was born on September 29, 1938 in Bergambacht in the Netherlands Province of South Holland. After completing his studies at the Nyenrode Business Universiteit business school, he started his career in 1961 at the socialist Nederlands Verbond van Vakverenigingen (NVV), where he was chairman from 1973 until 1982. Between 1976 and 1986 he was chair of the Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging (FNV), a merger of the NVV and the Catholic trade union NKV, which he had overseen.

Political career

In 1986, Kok succeeded Joop den Uyl as leader of the social democratic Labour Party. From 1989 until 1994 he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in a cabinet with the centre-right party Christian Democratic Appeal.

In 1994, Kok became Prime Minister in a cabinet with the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and the social liberal party Democrats 66. This cabinet goes under the name of Cabinet Kok I. This Purple coalition was the first in decades to form a government without the Christian Democratic Appeal. After the elections in 1998 he led a second government with the same partners, Cabinet Kok II.

During most of Kok's time as Prime Minister, the Netherlands was booming economically and Kok was credited internationally for the Dutch Polder Model. This same "Polder model" went out of fashion early 2002, which saw the rise of Pim Fortuyn, a political newcomer.

Kok's cabinet fell just weeks before the May 2002 elections when Kok and all his ministers stepped down because of the discussion about the possible Dutch responsibility in the Srebrenica massacre.

Kok left Dutch politics after the election, as he had already announced the year before, but that does not mean his political life has ended. Like many whose official political careers have ended, he continues to influence politics.

Kok was succeeded as leader of the Labour Party by Ad Melkert, who went on to lose the Dutch general election of 2002.

At present, Wim Kok holds the following positions:

• President of the Board of Governors of The Netherlands Cancer Institute
• Member of the Supervisory Board of ING Group (international financial services)
• Member of the Supervisory Board of Royal Dutch Shell (oil company)
• Member of the Supervisory Board of TNT (international postal company with Dutch origin)
• Member of the Supervisory Board of KLM (airline)
• Member of the Strategic Advisory Panel of the European Business Awards
• Member of the Club of Madrid
• Special member of Supervisory Board of Stork (industrial group)
• Commissioner of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).

After politics

Between April and November 2004, Kok headed up a review of the Lisbon Strategy and presented a report containing suggestions on how to give new impetus to the Lisbon process. The European Commission used this report to declare that the social and environmental parts are no longer a priority and declared a return to the Lisbon Agenda under economic terms only.

Kok now lobbies for the Lisbon Strategy of the European Commission and has also been appointed to the Advisory Board of the European Association of History Educators.

Honours and awards

Honours

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (19 oktober 2001, Spain)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau (10 december 2002, Netherlands)
• Grand Officer of the Order of the Three Stars (November 2004, Latvia)

Honorary appointments

• Minister of State (since 11 April 2003, Netherlands)

Honorary degrees

• Honorary doctorate from the Nyenrode Business University (2 September 2003, Netherlands)
• Honorary doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Münster (10 December 2003, Germany)

External links

• (Dutch) W. (Wim) Kok (Parlement & Politiek)
• W. Kok (Ministry of General Affairs)

Party political offices
Preceded by Joop den Uyl	Party leader Labour Party 1986-2001	Succeeded by Ad Melkert
Preceded by Joop den Uyl	Parliamentary leader – Labour Party House of Representatives 1986-1989	Succeeded by Thijs Wöltgens
Government offices
Preceded by Onno Ruding	Minister of Finance 1989-1994	Succeeded by Gerrit Zalm
Preceded by Ruud Lubbers	Minister of General Affairs 1994-2002	Succeeded by Jan Peter Balkenende
Political offices
Preceded by Ruud Lubbers	Prime Minister of the Netherlands 1994-2002	Succeeded by Jan Peter Balkenende
Non-profit organization positions
Preceded by Ricardo Lagos	President of the Club of Madrid 2009-	Succeeded by Incumbent