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 ( , VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberal List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. The VVD, whose forerunner was the Freedom Party (Netherl ...

(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, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and

Political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and obtaining a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree and a Bachelor of Social Science 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 a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

degree and a Master of Social Science 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 entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

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 know ...

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 In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

Law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

Culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

and deputy spokesperson for Social Affairs and

Social Work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

. After the election of 2002 Nicolaï was appointed as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the 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 (, LPF) was a political party in the Netherlands that existed from 2002 to 2008 at a national level and was named after its eponymous founder Pim Fortuyn, a former university professor and political columnist. The party was ...

(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 Democrats 66 (; D66) is a social liberal and progressive political party in the Netherlands, which is positioned on the centre to centre-left of the political spectrum. It is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Li ...

(D66) had lost confidence in the functioning of Minister of Integration and Asylum Affairs Rita Verdonk and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 2006 when it was replaced by the caretaker 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 ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

, Social Affairs, European Affairs,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, Benelux Union,

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

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

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

in the Cabinet Rutte I but during the cabinet formation of 2010 his appointment was blocked by the coalition partner

Party for Freedom The Party for Freedom ( , PVV) is a right-wing populist, far-right political party in the Netherlands. Geert Wilders is the founder, party leader, and sole registered member of the party. Founded in 2006 as the successor to Wilders' one-ma ...

(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 A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

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, pu ...

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).

Personal life and death

Atzo Nicolaï married in 1993 and in 2015. The second marriage was consummated by

Frits Bolkestein Frederik "Frits" Bolkestein (; 4 April 1933 – 17 February 2025) was a Dutch politician and energy executive who served as Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) from 1990 to 1998 and List of European Commissioners by nati ...

. Nicolaï was the father of three children. Nicolaï died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

at age 60 after a short illness.

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 Dutch MPs 2010–2012 Dutch MPs 2006–2010 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 Politicians 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 20th-century Dutch dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Dutch dramatists and playwrights