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Dries van Agt
Dries van Agt in 1980
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office 19 December 1977 – 4 November 1982
Monarchs	Juliana (1977–1980) Beatrix (1980–1982)
Deputy	See list Hans Wiegel (1977–1981) Joop den Uyl (1981–1982) Jan Terlouw (1981–1982)
Preceded by	Joop den Uyl
Succeeded by	Ruud Lubbers
Ambassador of the European Union to the United States
In office 1 January 1990 – 1 April 1995
Preceded by	Roy Denman
Succeeded by	Hugo Paemen
Ambassador of the European Union to Japan
In office 1 January 1987 – 1 January 1990
Preceded by	Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
Succeeded by	Jean-Pierre Leng
Queen's Commissioner of North Brabant
In office 1 June 1983 – 22 April 1987
Monarch	Beatrix
Preceded by	Jan Dirk van der Harten
Succeeded by	Frank Houben
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 28 May 1982 – 4 November 1982
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Max van der Stoel
Succeeded by	Hans van den Broek
Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives
In office 10 June 1981 – 24 August 1981
Preceded by	Ruud Lubbers
Succeeded by	Ruud Lubbers
In office 8 June 1977 – 19 December 1977
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Willem Aantjes
Parliamentary group	Christian Democratic Appeal
Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal
In office 10 December 1976 – 25 October 1982
Deputy	See list Willem Aantjes (1976–1978) Ruud Lubbers (1978–1982)
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Ruud Lubbers
Deputy Prime Minister
In office 11 May 1973 – 8 September 1977
Prime Minister	Joop den Uyl
Preceded by	Roelof Nelissen Molly Geertsema
Succeeded by	Gaius de Gaay Fortman
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 16 September 1982 – 16 June 1983
In office 10 June 1981 – 9 September 1981
In office 8 June 1977 – 19 December 1977
In office 23 January 1973 – 22 April 1973
Parliamentary group	Christian Democratic Appeal (1981–1983) Catholic People's Party (1973–1977)
Minister of Justice
In office 6 July 1971 – 8 September 1977
Prime Minister	Barend Biesheuvel (1971–1973) Joop den Uyl (1973–1977)
Preceded by	Carel Polak
Succeeded by	Gaius de Gaay Fortman
Personal details
Born	Andreas Antonius Maria van Agt (1931-02-02) 2 February 1931 (age 93) Geldrop, Netherlands
Political party	Christian Democratic Appeal (from 1980)
Other political affiliations	Catholic People's Party (until 1980)
Spouse	Eugenie Krekelberg ​(m. 1958)​
Children	Eugenie (born 1959) Frans (born 1961) Caroline (born 1963)
Residence(s)	Nijmegen, Netherlands
Alma mater	Radboud University Nijmegen (Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws)
Occupation	Politician · Diplomat · Civil servant · Jurist · Lawyer · Judge · Researcher · Nonprofit director · Lobbyist · Activist · Author · Professor
Signature
Website	Template:Nl icon driesvanagt.nl

Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt (Template:IPA-nl; born 2 February 1931) is a retired Dutch politician and diplomat of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 19 December 1977 until 4 November 1982.

Overview

Van Agt worked as a lawyer for the law firm Van der Putt, Nijst, Van Sandick en Depla from 1956 until 1958 and as a Civil service|civil servant working for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of Justice from 1958 until 1968. Van Agt worked as a professor of criminal procedure at the Radboud University Nijmegen from 1968 until 1971 and was also appointed as a judge at the court of Arnhem in 1971. After the election of 1971 Van Agt was appointed as Minister of Justice in the Cabinet Biesheuvel I, serving from 6 July 1971 until 11 May 1973. After the election of 1972 Van Agt continued as Minister of Justice in the Cabinet Den Uyl and also became Deputy Prime Minister, taking office on 11 May 1973. For the election of 1977 Van Agt was selected as the first Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal and became the Lijsttrekker (top candidate) on 10 December 1976. The Christian Democratic Appeal made small win, gaining 1 seat and became the second largest party and now had 49 seats in the House of Representatives. Van Agt was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives and became the Parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal in the House of Representatives on 8 June 1977. He resigned as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice on 8 September 1977. After a failed cabinet formation with the Labour Party (PvdA), Van Agt struck a deal with the Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Hans Wiegel that resulted in the formation of the Cabinet Van Agt-Wiegel with Van Agt becoming Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of General Affairs on 19 December 1977.

For the election of 1981 Van Agt served again as Lijsttrekker. The Christian Democratic Appeal sufferd a small lose, losing 1 seat but became the largest party and now had 48 seats in the House of Representatives. The following long cabinet formation resulted in a coalition agreement with the Labour Party and the Democrats 66 (D'66) which formed the Cabinet Van Agt II, with Van Agt continuing as Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs, taking office on 11 September 1981. The Cabinet Van Agt II fell just seven months into its term, when the Labour Party cabinet members resigned on 29 May 1982. For the election of 1982 Van Agt served for a third and final time as Lijsttrekker. The Christian Democratic Appeal sufferd a small lose, losing 3 seat and became the second largest party and now had 45 seats in the House of Representatives. Shortly after the election Van Agt unexpectedly announced his retirement from national politics and endorsed Ruud Lubbers as his successor. Van Agt stood down as on 25 October 1982 and Lubbers became the presumed de facto next Prime Minister. He remained as Prime Minister until the Cabinet Lubbers I was installed on 4 November 1982 but continued to serve as a backbencher in the House of Representatives.

After his premiership, Van Agt remained in active politics, in May 1983 Van Agt was nominated as the next Queen's Commissioner of North Brabant, taking office on 1 June 1983 and he resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives on 16 June 1983. Van Agt prematurely resigned as Queen's Commissioner of North Brabant on 22 April 1987 after he was selected as the Ambassador of the European Union to Japan, serving from 1 April 1987 until 1 January 1990 when he became the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States, serving until 1 April 1995. Following the end of his active political career, Van Agt served as a visiting professor for international relations, peace and conflict studies and governmental studies at the United Nations University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Kyoto University and the Ritsumeikan University from 1995 until 2004. After his retirement Van Agt occupied numerous seats as a corporate director and lobbyist for supervisory boards in the business and industry world and several international non-governmental organizations (InterAction Council, Green Cross International and the Edmund Burke Foundation) and as an advocate and activist for the Anti-war movement, human rights and the Two-state solution for the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

Van Agt is known for his abilities as a negotiator and debater. During his premiership, his cabinets were responsible for major reforms to the public sector, civil service and public administration and the struggles with the recession in the 1980s. Van Agt continues to comment on political affairs as a statesman. Following the death of Piet de Jong on 27 July 2016, he became the oldest living former Prime Minister.

Early life

Andreas Antonius Maria van Agt was born on 2 February 1931 in Geldrop in the Netherlands Province of North Brabant in a Roman Catholic family. After receiving his diploma Gymnasium-A at the Augustinianum he studied at the Catholic University of Nijmegen, where he received his Doctorate in Law in 1955. After graduating, he practiced law in Eindhoven until 1957, after which he worked in the office of legal and business affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries until 1962. From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Ministry of Justice.

Politics

Minister and Deputy Prime Minister

Van Agt entered politics as a member of the Catholic People's Party, which merged with the other two major Christian Democratic parties in 1980 to form the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). From 1968 to 1971, Van Agt was Professor of Criminal Law at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. From 1971 to 1973, he was Minister of Justice in the government of Barend Biesheuvel. He caused outrage when he tried to pardon the last three Nazi war criminals still in Dutch prisons in 1972. From 1973 to 1977 he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice in the government of Joop den Uyl.

Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal

In 1976, Van Agt was elected the first Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal, then still a federation of the three religious parties Christian Historical Union, Catholic People's Party and Anti-Revolutionary Party, which first ran in 1977 with a united list (the merger followed in 1980). With Van Agt as top candidate, the Christian Democratic Appeal reversed in 1977 years of decline to return to power.

Prime Minister in the Cabinet Van Agt I

In the parliamentary elections of May 1977 the Labour Party obtained their largest number of seats, so a second Den Uyl coalition looked likely. However, the tension between the Catholic People's Party and the Labour Party in the last reign, combined with the fact that a coalition between Christian Democratic Appeal and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy was possible, the talks failed after a period of seven months. Eventually Van Agt negotiated a deal with Hans Wiegel, leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. From 19 December 1977 to 11 September 1981 Van Agt was Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of General Affairs in the Cabinet Van Agt I.

Prime Minister in the Cabinet Van Agt II

In 1981, the Christian Democratic Appeal, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Labour Party lost parliamentary seats, so a continuation of a Christian Democratic Appeal-People's Party for Freedom and Democracy coalition was not possible. Van Agt, leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal, was forced to go in coalition with the Labour Party. Also Democrats 66 (which, under Jan Terlouw gained a significant number of seats) participated in the coalition talks, after 3 months of difficult negotiations that resulted in the Cabinet Van Agt II (11 September 1981 – 29 May 1982). In this composition Van Agt worked with Joop den Uyl again as Den Uyl was made Deputy Prime Minister and "super minister" of Social Affairs and Employment. The characterological and political differences led to several divisions, and in May 1982 the government fell.

The personal strife between Van Agt and Den Uyl were so deteriorated that when Den Uyl died from a brain tumor in 1987, Van Agt was not invited to the memorial by the family. Den Uyl's wife Liesbeth argued that Van Agt had prevented the second Den Uyl coalition from forming in 1977.

Prime Minister in the Cabinet Van Agt III

The caretaker government went through as a minority cabinet, with only ministers from the parties Christian Democratic Appeal and Democrats 66, in the Cabinet Van Agt III. For replacing the six Labour Party ministers, five new Christian Democratic Appeal and Democrats 66 ministers were in place, while van Agt in the cabinet, as well as being Prime Minister was also Minister of Foreign Affairs.

New parliamentary elections were organized for September 1982. Although Van Agt, by this point was worn out, he was persuaded again to be Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal but shortly after the election he withdrew as a candidate for prime minister and was succeeded by Ruud Lubbers.

Queen's Commissioner

when he was appointed as the Queen's Commissioner of the province North Brabant.

After politics

Diplomat

Dries van Agt served as Ambassador of the European Community to Japan from 1987 to 1990 and to the United States from 1990 to 1995. From 1995 to 1996, he was a Visiting Professor of International Relations at the University of Kyoto.

Professor

He is currently Prime Counsellor for the International Forum for Justice and Peace, a foundation under Dutch law, registered at the Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam. Chaired by retired international businessman Ben Smoes, they are currently focused on justice and peace in regard to the Israel/Palestine conflict

Activist

Van Agt lectured in May 2006 in Cairo at the invitation of the Egyptian electronic magazine Arab-West Report about great changes in the cultural climate of north-western Europe in the past decades, becoming more hostile to religion, including Islam. Muslims, he argued, need to understand those changes in order to be able to respond better to European criticism on Islam and the Muslim world.

Van Agt has also spoken against the Council of State in Egypt for continuous delay in granting the Center for Arab-West Understanding (CAWU) the NGO status. He met with prominent figures in Egypt to persuade them to do so. The Egyptian Council of State, after van Agt's visit to Cairo in 2006, ruled on 18 February 2007 that the Center should be recognized as an NGO under Egyptian law, ending its three-year struggle to obtain this status. Egypt is known for its reluctance in granting NGO status in order to discourage political participation. Cornelis Hulsman, a Dutch sociologist, the editor-in-chief of Arab-West Report, and the head of CAWU, stated that van Agt's effort significantly impacted the realization of their goals, which usually requires a lengthy amount of time and scrutiny in its political purposes.

For some years he has taken an outspoken stance regarding the Middle East, resulting in a fierce criticism of the policies undertaken by the government of Israel with regard to the Palestinians. When in office, van Agt was a staunch supporter of Israel, but after he stepped down in 1982 he changed his mind. According to his own words an important turning point was a visit at the late nineties at Bethlehem University on the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He has accused Israel of "state terrorism" and turning the Palestinian Authority territories into "bantustans". In 2012, Van Agt said that Jews should have a state in Germany instead of Israel. In September 2016, in reference to the visit of Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netenyahu to the Netherlands, van Agt argued that the ongoing Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the building of settlements there constituted a war crime under the Rome Statute and suggested that Netenyahu should have been sent to the International Criminal Court. According to former speaker of the House of Representatives, Gerdi Verbeet, Van Agts remarks must be seen in the context of declining capabilities

Personal

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Van Agt is known for his use of archaic language and complicated phrasing, as well as for his love for cycling. He married his wife Eugenie Krekelberg in 1958, and they've had three children and seven grandchildren. In 2012, he joined the Advisory Board of the International Museum for Family History.

Decorations

Honours

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Honorary Medal for Initiative and Ingenuity of the Order of the House of Orange	Netherlands	19 September 1974
	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	9 December 1982

Awards

Honorary degrees

References

1. van in isolation: Template:IPA-nl.
2. Template:Nl icon Dries van Agt (1931), Absolutefacts.nl, 10 December 2008
3. For the full text of his lecture, entitled, "Cultures between Clash and Reconciliation: The Role of the Media and Academia," see AWR, 2006, week 53, art. 3
4. "Former Dutch PM champions Palestinian cause" Archived 13 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Radio Netherlands Worldwide (10 December 2009).
5. Template:Nl icon "De bekering van Dries van Agt" Archived 19 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine, HP|DE TIJD, 29 September 2006
6. Template:Nl icon "Ik kan het wel uitschreeuwen", interview oud-premier Dries van Agt, NRC Handelsblad, 22 August 2009
7. Cnaan Liphshiz, 'Dutch Jimmy Carter' accuses Israel of terrorism in new book Haaretz (27 June 2008).
8. Former Dutch PM: Jews should have had a state in Germany, The Times of Israel (11 November 2012).
9. Cockburn, Harry (6 September 2016). "Former Dutch PM calls Benjamin Netanyahu a 'war criminal' who should be tried in The Hague". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
10. Brouwer, Bart. "Gerdi Verbeet: 'Vermogens Van Agt zijn aan het afnemen'", NPO Radio 1, Hilversum, 4 January 2018. Retrieved on 22 July 2019.

External links

Official

• Template:Nl icon Mr. A.A.M. (Dries) van Agt Parlement & Politiek
• Template:Nl icon Kabinet-Van Agt I Rijksoverheid
• Template:Nl icon Kabinet-Van Agt II Rijksoverheid
• Template:Nl icon Kabinet-Van Agt III Rijksoverheid

v t e Prime ministers of the Netherlands
Schimmelpenninck De Kempenaer Thorbecke Van Hall Van der Brugghen Rochussen Van Hall Ja. Van Zuylen van Nijevelt Van Heemstra Thorbecke Fransen van de Putte Ju. Van Zuylen van Nijevelt Van Bosse Thorbecke De Vries J. Heemskerk Kappeyne van de Coppello Van Lynden van Sandenburg J. Heemskerk Mackay Van Tienhoven Roëll Pierson Kuyper De Meester T. Heemskerk Cort van der Linden Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Colijn De Geer Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Colijn De Geer Gerbrandy Schermerhorn Beel Drees Beel De Quay Marijnen Cals Zijlstra De Jong Biesheuvel Den Uyl Van Agt Lubbers Kok Balkenende Rutte Schoof
List (education ◌ religion)

v t e King's and Queen's commissioners of North Brabant
Provinces of the Netherlands
Hultman Holvoet Van Vredenburch Van der Fosse Van den Bogaerde van Terbrugge Borret Bosch van Drakestein Gerrits Van Voorst tot Voorst Van Rijckevorsel Smits van Oyen De Quay Kortmann Van der Harten Van Agt Houben Maij-Weggen Van de Donk Adema

v t e Ministers of foreign affairs of the Netherlands
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Buys Gogel Van der Goes van Dirxland Röell Mollerus Van der Heim Van Hogendorp Van Nagell Reinhold Van Reede De Coninck Verstolk van Soelen H. van Zuylen van Nijevelt Huyssen van Kettendijke Schimmelpenninck van der Oye De la Sarraz Van Randwijck Schimmelpenninck Bentinck van Nijenhuis Lightenvelt Van Sonsbeeck Ja. van Zuylen van Nijevelt Van Hall Gevers van Endegeest Van Goltstein Van Hall Ju. van Zuylen van Nijevelt Van der Goes van Dirxland Ja. van Zuylen van Nijevelt Strens Stratenus Van der Maesen de Sombreff Huyssen van Kattendijke Cremers Ju. van Zuylen van Nijevelt Van Mulken Roest van Limburg Van Mulken Gericke van Herwijnen Van der Does de Willebois Van Heeckeren van Kell Van Lynden van Sandenburg Rochussen Van der Does de Willebois Du Tour van Bellinchave Van Karnebeek Hartsen Van Tienhoven Jansen Röell De Beaufort Van Lynden Ellis Van Weede van Berencamp Ellis Van Tets van Goudriaan De Marees van Swinderen Cort van der Linden Loudon Van Karnebeek Beelaerts van Blokland De Graeff Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Colijn Patijn Van Kleffens Van Roijen Van Boetzelaer van Oosterhout Stikker Beyen Luns Schmelzer Van der Stoel Van der Klaauw Van der Stoel Van Agt Van den Broek Kooijmans Van Mierlo Van Aartsen De Hoop Scheffer Bot Verhagen Rosenthal Timmermans Koenders Zijlstra Kaag Blok Kaag De Bruijn Knapen Hoekstra Schreinemacher Slot Veldkamp

v t e Deputy prime ministers of the Netherlands
Drees Van Schaik Teulings Beel Struycken Korthals Biesheuvel Vondeling De Quay Witteveen Bakker Nelissen Geertsema Van Agt De Gaay Fortman Wiegel Den Uyl Terlouw Van Aardenne De Korte Kok Dijkstal Van Mierlo Jorritsma Borst Bomhoff Remkes De Boer Zalm De Graaf Brinkhorst Bos Rouvoet Verhagen Asscher De Jonge Ollongren Schouten Koolmees Ollongren Kaag Hoekstra Jetten Van Gennip Agema Hermans Van Hijum Keijzer

v t e Ministers of justice of the Netherlands
Ministry of Justice and Security
Tadama Reuvens Van Hooff Van der Goes van Dirxland Cambier Appelius Van Hugenpoth tot Aerdt Van Maanen Van Pallandt van Keppel Van Maanen Van Hall De Jonge van Campensnieuwland Donker Curtius Wichers Lightenvelt Nedermeyer van Rosenthal Strens Donker Curtius Van der Brugghen Boot Godefroi Olivier Pické Borret J. Heemskerk Wintgens Van Lilaar Jolles De Vries Van Lynden van Sandenburg Smidt Modderman Du Tour van Bellinchave Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Smidt Van der Kaay Cort van der Linden Loeff Van Raalte Nelissen T. Heemskerk Regout T. Heemskerk Ort T. Heemskerk Schokking J. Donner Van Schaik Goseling De Visser Gerbrandy Van Angeren Van Heuven Goedhart Gerbrandy Kolfschoten Van Maarseveen Wijers Van Maarseveen Struycken Mulderije Donker Beel Van Oven Samkalden Struycken Beerman Scholten Samkalden Struycken Polak Van Agt De Gaay Fortman De Ruiter Korthals Altes Hirsch Ballin Kosto Sorgdrager Korthals P. H. Donner Verdonk Hirsch Ballin Opstelten Blok Van der Steur Blok Grapperhaus Yeşilgöz-Zegerius Van Weel

• 1931 births
• Living people
• United Nations University faculty
• Advocates of the European Union
• Ambassadors of the European Union to Japan
• Ambassadors of the European Union to the United States
• Anti–Iraq War activists
• Catholic People's Party politicians
• Christian Democratic Appeal politicians
• Criminal defense lawyers
• Cultural critics
• Democracy activists
• Deputy Prime Ministers of the Netherlands
• Dutch anti-war activists
• Dutch critics
• Dutch expatriates in Japan
• Dutch expatriates in the United States
• Dutch humanitarians
• Dutch human rights activists
• Dutch judges
• Dutch-language activists
• Dutch legal scholars
• Dutch legal writers
• Dutch nonprofit directors
• Dutch officials of the European Union
• Dutch political activists
• Dutch political writers
• Dutch Roman Catholics
• Governmental studies academics
• King's and Queen's Commissioners of North Brabant
• Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau
• Kwansei Gakuin University faculty
• Kyoto University faculty
• Leaders of the Christian Democratic Appeal
• International criminal law scholars
• International relations scholars
• Israeli–Palestinian peace process
• Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands)
• Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
• Ministers of Justice of the Netherlands
• People from Eindhoven
• People from Geldrop
• People from Groesbeek
• People from Nijmegen
• Peace and conflict scholars
• Presidents of the European Council
• Prime Ministers of the Netherlands
• Radboud University Nijmegen alumni
• Radboud University Nijmegen faculty
• Recipients of the Order of the House of Orange
• Ritsumeikan University faculty
• Scholars of criminal law
• Writers about activism and social change
• Writers on the Middle East
• 20th-century Dutch civil servants
• 20th-century Dutch diplomats
• 20th-century Dutch educators
• 20th-century Dutch jurists
• 20th-century Dutch lawyers
• 20th-century Dutch male writers
• 20th-century Dutch politicians
• 20th-century Dutch scientists
• 21st-century Dutch diplomats
• 21st-century Dutch educators
• 21st-century Dutch jurists
• 21st-century Dutch male writers
• 21st-century Dutch scientists