Atzo Nicolaï (22 February 1960 – 19 August 2020) was a Dutch politician of the

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...

(VVD) and businessman.

Education and early career

Nicolaï attended a Montessori Gymnasium Rotterdam from April 1972 until May 1980 and applied at the Free University Amsterdam in June 1980 majoring in

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

and

Political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and obtaining a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

degree and a

Bachelor of Social Science The academic undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Social Science (BSS, B.Soc.Sc., or B.Soc.Sci.) requires three to four years of study in the social sciences at an institution of higher education, primarily found in the Commonwealth of Nations. I ...

degree in Political science in June 1982 before graduating with a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

degree and a

Master of Social Science A Master of Social Science (MSocSc, MSSc or MSS) is a master's degree which has a number of different meanings dependent upon the education system in question. Europe In Finland and Sweden, where the university degree nomenclatura is simply bas ...

degree in Political science in July 1987. Nicolaï worked as a civil servant for the department of Arts and Culture of the Ministry of Welfare, Health and Culture from August 1987 until December 1990, and as Director-General of the Council for Arts from December 1990 until November 1995 and as Director-General of the Council for Culture from November 1995 until May 1998. Nicolaï worked as a management consultant for the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science from March 1997 until May 1998.

Political career

Nicolaï was elected as a

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 ...

member after the election of 1998, taking office on 19 May 1998 serving as a

frontbencher In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then kn ...

and the

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

for

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

Law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules Rule or ruling may refer to: Education ...

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

Culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

and deputy spokesperson for

Social Affairs A Ministry of Social Affairs or Department of Social Affairs is the common name for a government department found in states where the government is divided into ministries or departments. While there is some variation in the responsibilities of ...

and Social Work. After the election of 2002 Nicolaï was appointed as

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.Cabinet Balkenende I, taking office on 22 July 2002. The Cabinet Balkenende I fell just four months later on 16 October 2002 after tensions in the coalition over the stability of the

Pim Fortuyn List The Pim Fortuyn List ( nl, Lijst Pim Fortuyn, LPF) was a political party in the Netherlands named after its eponymous founder Pim Fortuyn, a former university professor and political columnist. The party was considered populist, right-wing popu ...

(LPF) and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity. After the election of 2003 Nicolaï returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 30 January 2003. Following the cabinet formation of 2003 Nicolaï continued as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Balkenende II, taking office on 27 May 2003. The Cabinet Balkenende II fell on 30 June 2006 after the Democrats 66 (D66) had lost confidence in the functioning of Minister of Integration and Asylum Affairs

Rita Verdonk Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk (born 18 October 1955) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and later founder of the Proud of the Netherlands (Trots) party and businesswoman. Verdonk attend ...

and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 2006 when it was replaced by the

caretaker Caretaker may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Caretaker'' (film), a 1963 adaptation of the play ''The Caretaker'' * '' The Caretakers'', a 1963 American film set in a mental hospital * Caretaker, a character in the 1974 film '' ...

Cabinet Balkenende III with Nicolaï appointed as Minister for Governmental Reform and Kingdom Relations, taking office on 7 July 2006. After the election of 2006 Nicolaï again returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 30 November 2006. The Cabinet Balkenende III was replaced by the Cabinet Balkenende IV following the cabinet formation of 2007 on 22 February 2007 and he continued to serve in the House of Representatives as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Social Affairs, European Affairs,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

, Benelux Union,

Aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...

and deputy spokesperson for Kingdom Relations and Social Work. After the election of 2010 Nicolaï was appointed

Minister of 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 co ...

in the Cabinet Rutte I but during the cabinet formation of 2010 his appointment was blocked by the coalition partner Party for Freedom (PVV) and he continued to serve in the House of Representatives chairing the parliamentary committee for Foreign Affairs. In May 2011, Nicolaï was named as Chairman of the Board of directors of the DSM Company, and he resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives the same day he was installed as Chairman on 1 June 2011. Nicolaï also became active in the

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, inf ...

and occupied numerous seats as a nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards ( National History Museum, Bird Protection Foundation). Nicolaï also worked as a trade association executive for the Chemical Industry association serving as Vice Chairman of the Executive Board from 1 June 2011 until 1 October 2019 and for the Industry and Employers confederation (VNO-NCW).VVD-Kamerlid Atzo Nicolaï verlaat Tweede Kamer
Elsevier, April 26, 2011

Decorations

References

External links

;Official *
Mr.Drs. A. (Atzo) Nicolaï
Parlement & Politiek {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolaï, Atzo 1960 births 2020 deaths Dutch academic administrators Dutch chief executives in the manufacturing industry Dutch corporate directors Dutch male dramatists and playwrights Dutch magazine editors Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch nonprofit executives Dutch theatre managers and producers Dutch trade association executives Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Members of the Social and Economic Council Ministers of Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands Ministers without portfolio of the Netherlands Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau People from Amstelveen People from Delft People's Party for Freedom and Democracy politicians State Secretaries for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam alumni Academic staff of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Academic staff of the University of Amsterdam 20th-century Dutch civil servants 20th-century Dutch businesspeople 20th-century Dutch jurists 20th-century Dutch male writers 20th-century Dutch politicians 21st-century Dutch civil servants 21st-century Dutch businesspeople 21st-century Dutch jurists 21st-century Dutch male writers 21st-century Dutch politicians 20th-century Dutch dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Dutch dramatists and playwrights