Margrietus Johannes "Max" van den Berg (;Every word in isolation: born 22 March 1946) is a Dutch
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
and member of the
Dutch Labour Party
The Labour Party ( nl, Partij van de Arbeid, , abbreviated as ''PvdA'', or ''P van de A'', ) is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands.
The party was founded in 1946 as a merger of the Social Democratic Workers' Party, the Free ...
. From 1979 to 1986 he was the chairman of that party and from 1999 to 2007 he was a
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
Margrietus Johannes van den Berg was born on 22 March 1946 in
Ammerstol
Ammerstol is a village, part of the municipality of Krimpenerwaard in the Netherlands. It is located about southeast of Gouda, on the Lek River.
Between 1817 and 1985, Ammerstol was an independent municipality. Until 2015, it was part of Berga ...
in the
Netherlands
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, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.Drs. M.J. van den Berg ''Parlement & Politiek''. Retrieved on 16 November 2007.
His high school was the ''Carmelieten Paters'' in
Oldenzaal
Oldenzaal (; Tweants: ''Oldnzel'') is a municipality and a city in the eastern province of Overijssel in the Netherlands. It is part of the region of Twente and is close to the German border.
It received city rights in 1249. Historically, the city ...
. In 1969 he received his degree in
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
in Groningen, where he specialized in urban planning and political science. From 1969 to 1970 he was an academic staff member and lecturer at the sociology faculty of the
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. Founded in 1614, the university is th ...
.
Political career
From 1 September 1970 to 5 September 1978, Max van den Berg was an
alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...
in Groningen; the last six years of which he was also the deputy mayor of Groningen.
From 26 April 1979 to 25 April 1986, he was the chairman of the Labour Party.
From 1986 to 1999 he was the secretary-general of the
non-governmental organisation
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
Novib.
From 20 July 1999 to 1 September 2007, he was a
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
. He was the leader of the PvdA delegation in the European Parliament, and from 1999 to 2004 he was also vice-chairman of the Committee on Development and Cooperation. He is also a substitute for the
Committee on International Trade The Committee on International Trade (INTA) is a committee of the European Parliament. Its current chair, elected on 10 July 2019, is Bernd Lange.Subcommittee on Human Rights, vice-chair of the delegation for relations with the countries of the
Andean Community
The Andean Community ( es, Comunidad Andina, CAN) is a free trade area with the objective of creating a customs union comprising the South American countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The trade bloc was called the Andean Pact ...
, a substitute for the delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, and a member of the temporary committee on policy challenges and budgetary means of the enlarged Union 2007–2013.
Organisations
Max van den Berg is or was a member of several organisations:
* Member of Eurostep (1990–1999)
* Member of Oxfam International (1995–1999)
* Member of the board of governors of the African Studies Centre, Leiden
* Member of the management board of the Jan Vrijman Foundation
* Chairman of the management board, Theater Zeebelt, The Hague
* Member of the management board of Wereldomroep (Radio Netherlands International), Zeist
* Member of the management board of the Design Academy, Eindhoven
Honours
* Officer in the
Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands.
The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...