Frans Timmermans
Franciscus Cornelis Gerardus Maria "Frans" Timmermans is a Dutch politician who was the leader of GroenLinks–PvdA in the House of Representatives from 2023 to 2025.
From 2019 to 2023, Timmermans was Executive Vice President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal and European Commissioner for Climate Action in the von der Leyen I Commission. Prior to that, he was First Vice-President under Jean-Claude Juncker, overseeing Better Regulation, Interinstitutional Relations, the Rule of Law, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. He was also the Party of European Socialists’ lead candidate for the European Commission presidency in the 2019 European elections.
Before his roles in Brussels, Timmermans served as Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Second Rutte cabinet and as State Secretary for European Affairs in the Fourth Balkenende cabinet. He was a member of the House of Representatives for the Labour Party from 1998 to 2007 and again from 2010 to 2012. Earlier in his career, from 1987 to 1998, he worked as a diplomat in the Dutch foreign service.
Timmermans resigned from the European Commission in 2023 to lead the joint GroenLinks–PvdA alliance in the 2023 Dutch general election. The alliance emerged as the second-largest parliamentary group, with Timmermans now serving as its leader in the House of Representatives. After disappointing results at the 2025 general election, Timmermans announced his resignation as leader of the alliance.
Early life and education
Timmermans was born on 6 May 1961 in Maastricht to a Roman Catholic family. His parents divorced during his childhood, after which his father was mostly absent because of his career as security officer at the Dutch foreign ministry. Timmermans attended elementary school in Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, Belgium, before attending, from 1972 to 1975, the private Saint George's English School in Rome. From 1975 until 1980, he attended the athenaeum Bernardinuscollege in Heerlen, where he settled.In 1980, Timmermans enrolled at Radboud University Nijmegen, where he studied French language and literature and graduated with a Master of Arts degree in 1985. During his studies, in 1984, he also attended Nancy University in Nancy, France, where he pursued European law, history and French literature, earning both a Master of Laws in European Law and an additional MA degree in 1985.
File:Delegatieoverleg.jpg|thumb|Timmermans with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Russian President Vladimir Putin, 6 March 2013
Diplomatic career
Timmermans completed his military service in the Royal Netherlands Army, where he served as a private first class and Russian POW interrogator with the Military Intelligence and Security Service, until his discharge in August 1987. Immediately thereafter, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an Officer in the Integration Department, focusing on European cooperation and international affairs. In 1990, he was appointed Second Secretary at the Dutch Embassy in Moscow, where he served during a period of major political change following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993 as Deputy Head of the Bureau for European Development Cooperation, overseeing European aid and partnership programs.In 1994, Timmermans left the ministry to work as Assistant to Hans van den Broek, the European Commissioner for External Relations at the time. A year later, he became Senior Advisor and Private Secretary to Max van der Stoel, then serving as the High Commissioner on National Minorities for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a position he held until entering national politics in 1998.
Political career
Member of the House of Representatives (1998–2007)
After the 1998 Dutch general election, Timmermans was elected as a member of the House of Representatives for the Labour Party. He was re‑elected following the 2002 and 2003 general elections, serving in the House until 2007. During his tenure, Timmermans held several committee leadership roles. From 2001 to 2002, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He subsequently chaired the Committee on Economic Affairs from 2002 to 2003, after which he resumed his position as Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, a post he held until 2007.In addition to his domestic parliamentary work, Timmermans represented the House of Representatives in the Convention on the Future of Europe from March 2002 to July 2003, contributing to the drafting of the proposed Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. He was also a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 1998 to 2007.
State Secretary for European Affairs (2007–2010)
After the Dutch general election of 2006 the Labour Party, Christian Democratic Appeal and the ChristianUnion formed a coalition agreement which resulted in the formation of the Cabinet Balkenende IV. Timmermans became Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs and was responsible for the co-ordination of government policy towards the European Union, and was conferred the diplomatic title of Minister of European Affairs during international visits. A major theme of his time as Undersecretary for European Affairs was to increase support for European integration. This was done both by seeking greater influence of citizens on European policies and by improving communication and public perception; besides citizens the aim was that education should have also be more involved with Europe. The Treaty of Lisbon was signed whilst he was Undersecretary, before which Timmermans and Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende successfully lobbied to secure a greater role for national parliaments in European Union decision-making processes. In February 2010, NATO officially requested the Netherlands to extend its military involvement in Task Force Uruzgan. The Labour Party strongly opposed the extension of the mission and on 23 February 2010 the Cabinet Balkenende IV fell after the Labour Party officially withdrew its support with all Labour Party Cabinet members resigning.Return as a Member of the House of Representatives (2010–2012)
Following the withdrawal of the Labour Party from the coalition government, the Cabinet Balkenende IV remained as a Demissionary Cabinet until the Dutch general election of 2010. Following a coalition agreement between the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, Christian Democratic Appeal and the Party for Freedom, the Labour Party became the official opposition. Timmermans was returned to the House of Representatives, being installed on 17 June 2010. During his second term as a Member of the House of Representatives he served as Parliamentary Spokesman of the Labour Party for Foreign Affairs and European Affairs. Labour politician Ronald Plasterk accused Timmermans in 2016 of doing nothing for half a year in order to acquire this responsibility, which had initially been refused because of his previous office. He declined to comment.Minister of Foreign Affairs (2012–2014)
After the fall of the first Rutte cabinet, the 2012 Dutch general election resulted in the Labour Party and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy negotiating a coalition agreement which led to the formation of the second Rutte cabinet and Timmermans being appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, taking office on 5 November 2012.On 24 and 25 March 2014 the Netherlands hosted the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit, where Timmermans as Minister of Foreign Affairs was responsible for welcoming all attending representatives.
In May 2014, Timmermans condemned Geert Wilders' anti-Islam sticker, saying that "The Netherlands cannot be held responsible for the adolescent behaviour of a single parliamentarian." Timmermans said that Saudi Arabia is "deeply offended by the sticker action."
On 17 July 2014, passenger flight Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine resulting in the deaths of 194 Dutch citizens. The next day Timmermans flew to Kyiv to meet with President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to discuss the matter, following which, on 21 July 2014, Timmermans addressed the United Nations Security Council in New York. Timmermans delivered an emotional speech which was widely praised by the international community. His speech called for Dutch Prime Minister Rutte and the International Community to help bring the victims home and start an investigation to make sure that those responsible are brought to justice. He states: "I call on the international community, on the Security Council, on anyone with influence on the situation on the ground: allow us to bring the victims’ remains home to their loved ones without any further delay. They deserve to be home." A statement in his speech about the careless way with which the local population was said to have treated the bodies of the victims appeared to be imprecise. Timmermans acknowledged this later on in a letter to the Dutch parliament.
In August 2014, Timmermans called for an independent investigation into Israel's actions during the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict.
In a speech at the Israel Council on Foreign Relations Timmermans explains the interconnectedness between Israel and Europe. These similarities, culture-wise and governmentally, mean that Europe holds Israel to a higher standard: namely, as a European country rather than a Middle Eastern country. While this double standard could be perceived as antisemitic, Timmermans points out that "there is no way we can disentangle the destiny of Israel from the destiny of Europe". In pointing out this connection, Timmermans alludes to the responsibility that Europe has to maintain positive relations with Israel. While recognizing how young people in Europe are facing "rising disenchantment" to democracy, he calls on the European community to "help us find new, innovative ways of translating this inherent human necessity to be heard, to influence one's environment to be part of the decision making process". He believes the Netherlands should help fortify security guarantees for Israel, but cautions that Israel must be willing to give Palestinians full and equal rights in the West Bank and in Gaza.