Henk Kamp

Henk Kamp
Henk Kamp in 2011
Member of the Social and Economic Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 February 2018
Chair	Mariëtte Hamer
Minister of Economic Affairs
In office 5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister	Mark Rutte
Preceded by	Maxime Verhagen as Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation
Succeeded by	Eric Wiebes as Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy
Minister of Social Affairs and Employment
In office 14 October 2010 – 5 November 2012
Prime Minister	Mark Rutte
Preceded by	Piet Hein Donner
Succeeded by	Lodewijk Asscher
Governor of the Caribbean Netherlands
In office 1 January 2009 – 10 October 2010
Monarch	Beatrix
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Hans Gerritsen
Minister of Defence
In office 12 December 2002 – 22 February 2007
Prime Minister	Jan Peter Balkenende
Preceded by	Benk Korthals
Succeeded by	Eimert van Middelkoop
Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment
In office 22 July 2002 – 27 May 2003
Prime Minister	Jan Peter Balkenende
Preceded by	Jan Pronk
Succeeded by	Sybilla 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 group	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
Personal details
Born	Henricus Gregorius Jozeph Kamp (1952-07-23) 23 July 1952 Hengelo, Netherlands
Political party	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (from 1972)
Spouse	Linda Kamp ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	1 son and 1 daughter
Residence(s)	Diepenheim, Netherlands
Occupation	Politician · Civil servant · Corporate director · Nonprofit director · Trade association executive · Salesman · Tax collector

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

Kamp attended the Carmel Lyceum in Oldenzaal from June 1964 until July 1970. Kamp worked as a salesman for several wholesaling companies in Enschede, Tilburg and Borculo from August 1970 until June 1977. Kamp applied at the Civil Service Academy in Utrecht in June 1977 for a training as a tax collector graduating in April 1980. Kamp worked as a tax collector for the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) of the Ministry of Finance from April 1980 until May 1994. Kamp served on the Municipal Council of Borculo from March 1976 until May 1994 and served as an Alderman in Borculo from April 1986 until May 1994 and served on the Provincial-Council of Gelderland from June 1987 until May 1994.

Kamp was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1994, taking office on 17 May 1994 serving 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 four months later on 16 October 2002 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity. Kamp was appointed as Minister of Defence following the resignation of Benk Korthals and dual served in both positions, taking office on 12 December 2002. After the election of 2003 Kamp returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 30 January 2003. Following the cabinet formation of 2003 Kamp continued as Minister of Defence in the Cabinet Balkenende II, taking office on 27 May 2003. The Cabinet Balkenende II fell on 30 June 2006 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Balkenende III with Kamp remaining as Minister of Defence, taking office on 7 July 2006. After the election of 2006 Kamp again returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 30 November 2006 serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Kingdom Relations. The Cabinet Balkenende III was replaced by the Cabinet Balkenende IV following the cabinet formation of 2006 on 22 February 2007. In December 2008 Kamp was nominated as the first Governor of the Caribbean Netherlands and was tasked with overseeing the Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, he resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives on 18 December 2008 and was installed as Governor, 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 on 23 April 2012 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity. In May 2012 Kamp announced that he wouldn't stand for the election of 2012. After the election Kamp was appointed as co-Informateur for the cabinet formation of 2012. Following the cabinet formation 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 from national politics and that he wouldn't stand for the election of 2017. Following the cabinet formation of 2017 Kamp per his own request asked not to be considered for a cabinet post in the new cabinet, the Cabinet Rutte II was replaced by the Cabinet Rutte III on 26 October 2017.

Kamp semi-retired after spending 23 years in national politics and became active in the private sector and public sector and occupies numerous seats as a corporate director and nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards (Twente Hospital Group) and serves on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government (Caribbean Netherlands Financial Supervisory Council, Curaçao and Sint Maarten Financial Supervisory Council and the Social and Economic Council). Kamp also works as a trade association executive for the Nursing and Home-care association serving as Chairman since 1 January 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 of Defence Henk Kamp during a meeting 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 where 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. 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.

Decorations

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	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
	Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	14 February 2018	Elevated from Officer (11 April 2007)

External links

Official

• (in Dutch) H.G.J. (Henk) Kamp Parlement & Politiek