The Third Lubbers cabinet, also called the Lubbers–Kok cabinet, was the executive branch of the

Dutch government The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy, and a decentralised unitary state.''Civil service systems in Western Europe'' edited by A. J. G. M. Bekk ...

from 7 November 1989 to 22 August 1994. The cabinet was formed the

christian-democratic Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolution ...

(CDA) and the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) after the election of 1989. The cabinet was a

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...

grand coalition and had a substantial majority in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

with Christian-Democratic Leader

Ruud Lubbers Rudolphus Franciscus Marie "Ruud" Lubbers (; 7 May 1939 – 14 February 2018) was a Dutch politician, diplomat and businessman who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1982 to 1994, and as United Nations High Commissioner for Re ...

serving as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Labour Leader The ''Labour Leader'' was a British socialist newspaper published for almost one hundred years. It was later renamed ''New Leader'' and ''Socialist Leader'', before finally taking the name ''Labour Leader'' again. 19th century The origins of the ...

Wim Kok Willem "Wim" Kok (; 29 September 1938 – 20 October 2018) was a Dutch politician and trade union leader who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 August 1994 until 22 July 2002.Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

and

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

. The cabinet served during the final years of the turbulent 1980s and the early years of the

economic boom An economic expansion is an increase in the level of economic activity, and of the goods and services available. It is a period of economic growth as measured by a rise in real GDP. The explanation of fluctuations in aggregate economic activit ...

of the 1990s. Domestically it focused on revitalizing the

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

, reducing the deficit, and stimulating further deregulation and

privatization Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

. It had to deal with the El Al Flight 1862 Crash. Internationally the signing of the

Maastricht Treaty The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Communities, ...

took place but also it had to deal with several crises such as the beginning of the Bosnian War. The cabinet suffered several major internal conflicts including multiple resignations, but completed its entire term and was succeeded by the

First Kok cabinet First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

following the 1994 election.

Term

The cabinet was formed with a view to social reform. This was impossible because of the then bad shape of the Dutch economy, which made large reductions in government spending necessary. The reduction in spending on social care for disabled people led to demonstrations against the Dutch government in 1992. Many angry socialists left the Labour Party. The coalition lost heavily at the 1994 general election. Several cabinet members returned after serving in previous cabinets: Minister of the Interior Ed van Thijn had served earlier in the same position from 1981 until 1982, Minister of Economic Affairs Koos Andriessen had served earlier in the same position from 1963 until 1965, Minister of Development Cooperation Jan Pronk had served earlier in the same position from 1973 until 1977 and State Secretary for Finance Marius van Amelsvoort had served earlier in the same position from 1980 until 1981.

Changes

On 18 September 1990 Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries

Gerrit Braks Gerardus Johannes Maria "Gerrit" Braks (23 May 1933 – 12 July 2017) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP) and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and agronomist. Braks applied at the Wageningen Agr ...

(CDA) resigned after the Labour Party in the

indicated that they had lost confidence in his ability to remain in office after strongly disagreeing in his animal welfare and fraud policy. Minister of Social Affairs and Employment

Bert de Vries Berend "Bert" de Vries (born 29 March 1938) is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and economist. De Vries attended a Lyceum in Groningen from April 1950 until May 1958 and applied at the National Tax A ...

(CDA) served as acting Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries until 28 September 1990 when State Secretary for Economic Affairs Piet Bukman (CDA) was appointed as Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries. That same day Member of the House of Representatives Yvonne van Rooy (CDA), the former State Secretary for Economic Affairs was installed as his successor as State Secretary for Economic Affairs. That same day the function of State Secretary of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries was re-implemented, Mayor of Haaksbergen

Dzsingisz Gabor Jenö Dzsingisz Gabor (born 14 March 1940) is a retired Hungarian– Dutch politician and diplomat of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). Decorations References External links ;Official *Drs. J.D. (Dzsingisz) GaborParlement & Politiek ...

(CDA) was sworn in and assigned the portfolios of environmental policy, nature policy and agricultural management. On 3 January 1993

Minister for Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

Hans van den Broek Henri "Hans" van den Broek (; born 11 December 1936) is a retired Netherlands, Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP) and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as List of Euro ...

(CDA) resigned after he was appointed as European Commissioner for External Relations and Enlargement. That same day

Pieter Kooijmans Pieter Hendrik "Peter" Kooijmans (; 6 July 1933 – 13 February 2013) was a Dutch politician, jurist, and diplomat. He was of the defunct Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP), which later merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party. From 1 ...

(CDA), a former

State Secretary for Foreign Affairs The State Secretary for Foreign Affairs ( sv, Kabinettssekreterare) is the highest position below the rank of cabinet minister at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. , Jan Knutsson is State Secretary.International law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

at Leiden University, was appointed as his successor. On 1 June 1993 State Secretary for Defence Berend-Jan van Voorst tot Voorst (CDA) resigned after he was appointed as Queen's Commissioner of Limburg. That same day Member of the House of Representatives

Ton Frinking Antonius Bernardus Matthijs Frinking (1 February 1931 – 3 August 2022) was a Dutch politician. He served in the Royal Netherlands Army as a major from 1969 to 1975 and as lieutenant colonel from 1975 to 1977. He served as a member of the Hous ...

(CDA) succeed him. On 5 June 1993 State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment Elske ter Veld (PvdA) resigned after gaining insufficient support from her own Labour Party in the

for a new

widow's pension A widow's pension is a payment from the government of a country to a person whose spouse has died. Generally, such payments are made to a widow whose late spouse has fulfilled the country's requirements, including contribution, cohabitation, and l ...

act. On 9 June 1993 State Secretary for Education and Sciences

Jacques Wallage Jacques Wallage (born 27 September 1946) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and sociologist. Wallage attended a Gymnasium in Groningen from April 1959 until May 1965 and applied at the University of Groningen in June 196 ...

(PvdA) was appointed as her successor. That same day Roel in 't Veld (PvdA), who until then had been working as a professor of

Public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit est ...

at the

Erasmus University Rotterdam Erasmus University Rotterdam (abbreviated as ''EUR'', nl, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam ) is a public research university located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The university is named after Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, a 15th-century humani ...

was installed as his successor as State Secretary for Education and Sciences. On 19 June 1993 just 10 days after taking office Roel in 't Veld resigned after he was discredited due to additional positions he held when he was a professor. On 2 July 1993

Job Cohen Marius Job Cohen (; born 18 October 1947) is a retired Dutch politician and jurist who served as Mayor of Amsterdam from 2001 to 2010 and Leader of the Labour Party (PvdA) from 2010 to 2012. Cohen studied Law at the University of Groningen obt ...

(PvdA), who until then had been working as ''

rector magnificus A rector (Latin for 'ruler') is a senior official in an educational institution, and can refer to an official in either a university or a secondary school. Outside the English-speaking world the rector is often the most senior official in a un ...

'' of the State University of Limburg and as a professor of

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

, was appointed as his successor. On 10 January 1994

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Ien Dales (PvdA) unexpectedly died from a heart attack at the age of 62.

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Ernst Hirsch Ballin Ernst Maurits Henricus Hirsch Ballin (born 15 December 1950) is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist. After the election of 1989 Hirsch Ballin was appointed as Minister of Justice in the Cab ...

(CDA) served as acting

until 18 January 1994 when

Mayor of Amsterdam Below is a list of Burgomaster, mayors (Dutch language, Dutch: ''burgemeesters'') of Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. The city had four burgomasters, serving four years. Since 1389 the mayors were elected on 1 February. In the 17th and 18th ...

Ed van Thijn Eduard van Thijn (; 16 August 1934 – 19 December 2021) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and historian. He was a member of the Municipal Council of Amsterdam (1962–1971), member of the House of Representatives (1967–1981; ...

(PvdA) was installed as Dales' successor. On 26 February 1994 State Secretary for Welfare, Health and Culture

Hans Simons Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

(PvdA) resigned after he was appointed as a alderman in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

, but because the cabinet was already nearing the end of its term, he was not replaced. On 27 May 1994

(PvdA) and

(CDA) resigned over illegal interrogation techniques used by the

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

. They were succeeded by their State Secretaries, Dieuwke de Graaff-Nauta (CDA) became

and Aad Kosto (PvdA) became

. Due to the installment of a new

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

, several members resigned their functions to become members of this new parliament on 16 July 1994 and because the cabinet was already demissionary their portfolios were assigned to other ministers. The portfolio of Minister of Transport and Water Management was added to Minister of Economic Affairs Koos Andriessen (CDA), The portfolio of Minister of Welfare, Health and Culture was added to Minister of Education and Sciences

Jo Ritzen Jozef Marie Mathias "Jo" Ritzen (born 3 October 1945) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and economist. Ritzen worked as researcher at the Delft Institute of Technology from July 1969 until June 1972 and at the Erasmus ...

(PvdA).

Cabinet members

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Trivia

* Seven cabinet members had previous experience as scholars and professors:

(Constitutional and Administrative Law),

(International human rights Law), Koos Andriessen (Political Economics),

(Public and Education Economics),

(Business Economics), Roel in 't Veld (Public Administration) and

(Jurisprudence). * Seven members (later) served as Mayors: Ien Dales (Nijmegen),

Enneüs Heerma Enneüs "Inne" Heerma (23 December 1944 – 1 March 1999) was a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and management consultant. Heerma applied at the Free University Amsterdam in July 1963 majoring in Political scie ...

and Job Cohen (Amsterdam),

(Eindhoven),

(Groningen) and

(Haaksbergen). * Six cabinet members later served as in high-profile international functions: Ruud Lubbers (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Hans van den Broek (European Commissioner), Pieter Kooijmans (Judge of the International Court of Justice),

Jan Pronk Johannes Pieter "Jan" Pronk Jr. (; born 16 March 1940) is a retired Dutch politician and diplomat of the Labour Party (PvdA) and activist. Pronk studied Economics at the Rotterdam School of Economics obtaining a Master of Economics degree and ...

(Special Representative of the United Nations), Piet Bukman (President of the European People's Party) and

Piet Dankert Pieter "Piet" Dankert (8 January 1934 – 21 June 2003) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). Dankert was born in Stiens. Dankert applied at the University of Amsterdam in June 1951 majoring in Education obtaining a Bachelor of ...

(President of the European Parliament). * Five cabinet members where of Jewish decent: Ernst Hirsch Ballin (German-Ashkenazi), Ed van Thijn (Dutch-Ashkenazi),

Hedy d'Ancona Hedwig "Hedy" d'Ancona (; born 1 October 1937) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and political activist. d'Ancona applied at the University of Amsterdam in June 1956 majoring in Sociology and obtaining a Bachelor of Soc ...

(Italian-Sephardi), Jacques Wallage (English-Ashkenazi) and Job Cohen (German-Ashkenazi). * Four cabinet members (later) served as Queen's Commissioners:

Relus ter Beek Aurelus Louis "Relus" ter Beek (18 January 1944 – 29 September 2008) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA). He served as a House of Representatives (Netherlands), Member of the House of Representatives ...

(Drenthe), Hanja Maij-Weggen (Zeeland),

Hans Alders Johannes Gerardus Maria "Hans" Alders (born 17 December 1952) is a retired Dutch politician Labour Party (PvdA) and businessman. He is the Chairman of the Supervisory board of rail transport company ProRail ProRail () is a Dutch government ...

(Groningen) and Berend-Jan van Voorst tot Voorst (Limburg). * Four cabinet members would later be granted the honorary title of

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

(1995),

Wim Kok Willem "Wim" Kok (; 29 September 1938 – 20 October 2018) was a Dutch politician and trade union leader who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 August 1994 until 22 July 2002.Hans van den Broek Henri "Hans" van den Broek (; born 11 December 1936) is a retired Netherlands, Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP) and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as List of Euro ...

(2005) and Pieter Kooijmans (2007). * On appointment, Koos Andriessen had served as Minister of Economic Affairs 24 years and 207 days previously, in the Marijnen cabinet. * Ruud Lubbers became the longest-serving Dutch Prime Minister with a total period in office of .

References

External links

;Official *
Kabinet-Lubbers III
Parlement & Politiek *
Kabinet-Lubbers III
Rijksoverheid {{DEFAULTSORT:Lubbers cabinet, Third Cabinets of the Netherlands 1989 establishments in the Netherlands 1994 disestablishments in the Netherlands Cabinets established in 1989 Cabinets disestablished in 1994 Grand coalition governments