Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (Netherlands)

The minister for foreign trade and development cooperation (Dutch: Minister voor Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerking) is a minister without portfolio in the Netherlands. The officeholder, who is a member of the Cabinet and the Council of Ministers, is assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The minister is tasked with Trade and Export, Development Cooperation and International Environmental Policies. The current acting minister is Geoffrey van Leeuwen of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) who has been replacing Liesje Schreinemacher during her maternity leave since 4 December 2023.^[1]

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands
Minister voor Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerking
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Incumbent Geoffrey van Leeuwen since 4 December 2023 (2023-12-04)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Style	His/Her Excellency
Member of	Council of Ministers
Reports to	Wopke Hoekstra as Minister of Foreign Affairs
Appointer	The Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister
First holder	Theo Bot as Minister for Aid to Developing Countries 14 April 1965; 58 years ago (1965-04-14)
Salary	€157,287 (As of 2017^[update]) (including €8,387 of expenses)
Website	Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation

Until 2012, the title was Minister for Development Cooperation (minister voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking). Foreign trade and export promotion were handled by another appointee, a state secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Internationally, the state secretary was allowed to use the title of minister on official business. In 2010 both posts were merged, first as a state secretary; two years later a ministership was reinstated.

According to the OECD, The Netherlands’ total ODA (USD 6.5 billion, preliminary data) increased in 2022 due to an increase in in-donor refugee costs, support to Ukraine and higher contributions to European Union (EU) institutions. It represented 0.67% of gross national income (GNI). ^[2]

List of ministers and state secretaries

State Secretaries of Foreign Affairs (1959–1965)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Portfolio(s)	Term of office	Party		Cabinet
	Dr. Hans van Houten (1907–1996)	• European Union • NATO • Benelux • Development Cooperation • International Organizations	24 August 1959 – 24 July 1963		People's Party for Freedom and Democracy	De Quay^[3]
	Dr. Isaäc Nicolaas Diepenhorst (1907–1976)	• United Nations • Development Cooperation • International Organizations	28 September 1963 – 14 April 1965		Christian Historical Union	Marijnen^[4]

Ministers for Aid to Developing Countries (1965–1971)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office	Party		Cabinet
	Theo Bot (1911–1984)	14 April 1965 – 5 April 1967		Catholic People's Party	Cals^[5] Zijlstra^[6]
	Bé Udink (1926–2016)	5 April 1967 – 6 July 1971		Christian Historical Union	De Jong^[7]

Ministers for Development Cooperation (1971–2002)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office	Party		Cabinet
	Dr. Kees Boertien (1927–2002)	6 July 1971 – 11 May 1973		Anti-Revolutionary Party	Biesheuvel I, II^[8]
	Jan Pronk (born 1940)	11 May 1973 – 19 December 1977		Labour Party	Den Uyl^[9]
	Jan de Koning (1926–1994)	19 December 1977 – 11 September 1981		Anti-Revolutionary Party	Van Agt I^[10]
				Christian Democratic Appeal
	Kees van Dijk (1931–2008)	11 September 1981 – 4 November 1982		Christian Democratic Appeal	Van Agt II, III^[11]^[12]
	Eegje Schoo (born 1944)	4 November 1982 – 14 July 1986		People's Party for Freedom and Democracy	Lubbers I^[13]
	Piet Bukman (1934–2022)	14 July 1986 – 7 November 1989		Christian Democratic Appeal	Lubbers II^[14]
	Jan Pronk (born 1940)	7 November 1989 – 3 August 1998		Labour Party	Lubbers III^[15] Kok I^[16]
	Eveline Herfkens (born 1952)	3 August 1998 – 22 July 2002		Labour Party	Kok II^[17]

State Secretaries of Foreign Affairs (2002–2003)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Portfolio(s)	Term of office	Party		Cabinet
	Agnes van Ardenne (born 1950)	• Development Cooperation ^[Title]	22 July 2002 – 27 May 2003		Christian Democratic Appeal	Balkenende I^[18]

^{Designated with the diplomatic rank of Minister}

Ministers for Development Cooperation (2003–2010)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office	Party		Cabinet
	Agnes van Ardenne (born 1950)	27 May 2003 – 22 February 2007		Christian Democratic Appeal	Balkenende II, III^[19]^[20]
	Bert Koenders (born 1958)	22 February 2007 – 23 February 2010 ^[Res]		Labour Party	Balkenende IV^[21]
	Maxime Verhagen (born 1956)	23 February 2010 – 14 October 2010 ^[Minister]		Christian Democratic Appeal

^Resigned

^{Minister of Foreign Affairs}

State Secretaries of Foreign Affairs (2010–2012)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Portfolio(s)	Term of office	Party		Cabinet
	Dr. Ben Knapen (born 1951)	• European Union • Benelux • Development Cooperation ^[Title]	14 October 2010 – 5 November 2012		Christian Democratic Appeal	Rutte I^[22]

^{Designated with the diplomatic rank of Minister}

Ministers for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (since 2012)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office	Party		Cabinet
	Lilianne Ploumen (born 1962)	5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017		Labour Party	Rutte II^[23]
	Sigrid Kaag (born 1961)	26 October 2017 – 10 August 2021 ^[Minister] ^[App]		Democrats 66	Rutte III^[24]
	Tom de Bruijn (born 1948)	10 August 2021 – 10 January 2022		Democrats 66
	Liesje Schreinemacher (born 1983)	10 January 2022 – 4 December 2023		People's Party for Freedom and Democracy	Rutte IV
	Geoffrey van Leeuwen (born 1983)	4 December 2023 – Incumbent ^[Acting]		People's Party for Freedom and Democracy

^{Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs from 13 February 2018 until 7 March 2018 and from 25 May 2021 until 10 August 2021}

^{Appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs}

^Acting

See also

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency
• Center for the Promotion of Imports
• Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
• NICCT
• List of the largest trading partners of the Netherlands
• Development aid

References

1. "Diplomate Sigrid Kaag wordt nu zelf de baas" (in Dutch). NOS. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
2. "OECD Development Co-operation Profiles". Retrieved 4 October 2023.
3. "Kabinet-De Quay". DeQuay. Rijksoverheid.
4. "Kabinet-Marijnen". Marijnen. Rijksoverheid.
5. "Kabinet-Cals". Cals. Rijksoverheid.
6. "Kabinet-Zijlstra". Zijlstra. Rijksoverheid.
7. "Kabinet-De Jong". De Jong. Rijksoverheid.
8. "Kabinet-Biesheuvel". Biesheuvel. Rijksoverheid.
9. "Kabinet-Den Uyl". DenUyl. Rijksoverheid.
10. "Kabinet-Van Agt I". VanAgtI. Rijksoverheid.
11. "Kabinet-Van Agt II". VanAgtII. Rijksoverheid.
12. "Kabinet-Van Agt III". VanAgtIII. Rijksoverheid.
13. "Kabinet-Lubbers I". LubbersI. Rijksoverheid.
14. "Kabinet-Lubbers II". LubbersII. Rijksoverheid.
15. "Kabinet-Lubbers III". LubbersIII. Rijksoverheid.
16. "Kabinet-Kok I". KokI. Rijksoverheid.
17. "Kabinet-Kok II". KokII. Rijksoverheid.
18. "Kabinet-Balkenende I". BalkenendeI. Rijksoverheid.
19. "Kabinet-Balkenende II". BalkenendeII. Rijksoverheid.
20. "Kabinet-Balkenende III". BalkenendeIII. Rijksoverheid.
21. "Kabinet-Balkenende IV". BalkenendeIV. Rijksoverheid.
22. "Kabinet-Rutte-Verhagen". RutteI. Rijksoverheid.
23. "Kabinet-Rutte-Asscher". RutteII. Rijksoverheid.
24. "Kabinet-Rutte III". RutteIII. Rijksoverheid.