Representative
Senator
Christian Democratic Appeal
Senate - Eerste Kamer der Staten Generaal
NL - 2500 EA - The Hague
Netherlands
Working language: English
Declarations of interests:
2026
, 2025
, 2024
, 2023
Declarations of interest regarding election observations (if applicable)
02/10/2026 | 11:06:00 Thank you, President, Dear colleagues, I want to address the European identity. A spirit of growing nationalism is sweeping through today's world. The idea of the nation-state emerged in the 19th century, yet it can sometimes seem as though one's country has existed since prehistoric times. An American president, for example, takes pride in the ties between 250-year-old America and the ancient Roman Empire. I was born and served in public office in the Dutch border city of Maastricht, and am... 02/10/2026 | 10:28:00 Thank you, Mister President. Dear colleagues, Dear rapporteur Ms Rian VOGELS, The resolution we are discussing today is unlikely to attract much attention from the outside world. Yet, it is a fine example of the kind of solid regulatory work that simply needs to be done to ensure our operations run more clearly and effectively. Let me begin, therefore, by commending, on behalf of the Group of the European People's Party, the rapporteur and the staff for the work they have put into this... 30/09/2026 | 17:39:31 Madam President, Dear colleagues, The Second World War ended more than 80 years ago, and from the ashes emerged the conviction that if we wish to build a new, peaceful world order, it can only be achieved through co-operation between nations grounded in a shared legal system. That conviction gave rise to the Council of Europe and the International Criminal Court (ICC), as other international bodies. The major European political families, the social democrats, the liberals, and the Christian... 24/06/2026 | 12:01:29 Sorry, that was not artificial intelligence (AI), I think. Well, Madam President, Dear colleagues, I wrote this text, which I am about to deliver myself. It was not generated by AI. Unfortunately, I cannot prove this because so many texts of mine are now circulating on the internet that ChatGPT could easily have turned them into a relevant contribution. That would have saved me a lot of time and effort, but I would have undermined the essence of today’s topic. For democracy begins with the... 28/01/2026 | 13:13:27 Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2. Chair, dear colleagues, I read this resolution and recommendation with great interest, pleasure, and agreement.With interest, because this year marks 40 years since I was elected as the youngest member of the City Council in my city Maastricht, thus beginning my political and administrative career. I was elected because my party, the Christian Democrats, reserved a preferential position on the candidate list for a member of their youth...
01/09/2026 | Doc. 16466 | Motion for a resolution Protecting Europe’s cultural diversity and sovereignty by promoting access to European cinematographic and audiovisual works 24/06/2026 | Doc. 16449 | Motion for a resolution A constitutional right to reliable information: safeguarding democracy in the age of artificial intelligence and platform power 07/07/2025 | Doc. 16223 | Motion for a resolution Justice delayed: the unfinished implementation of the Daphne Caruana Galizia case 26/06/2025 | Doc. 16220 | Written declaration On the situation of freedom of faith in Belarus 25/06/2025 | Doc. 16215 | Motion for a resolution The functioning of democratic institutions in the Slovak Republic
02/10/2026 | Doc. 16482, vote on the draft text for resolution Restructuring and streamlining the Rules of Procedure: modalities relating to the external and interparliamentary relations of the Assembly 01/10/2026 | Doc. 16493, vote on the draft text for resolution Europe, the fastest-warming continent: accelerating climate action with young people 01/10/2026 | Doc. 16493, vote on the draft text for recommendation Europe, the fastest-warming continent: accelerating climate action with young people 01/10/2026 | Doc. 16472, vote on the draft text for resolution The role of the OECD in evaluating the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of work 01/10/2026 | Doc. 16499, vote on the draft text for resolution Repression and targeted attacks on LGBTI persons and defenders in Türkiye