On Monday 3 September, we will have the honour of receiving the Dutch Minister for Defence, Ank Bijleveld. She will give an interactive guest lecture about Dutch defence policy, at which all attendants will have the chance to ask questions to the Minister. Subjects that will come up include defence policy, NATO, foreign missions and European security, but also the student life and the political career of the Minister herself. The lecture, which is free and open to everyone, will take place in the Aula of the Academy Building and starts at 20:00.
Ms Bijleveld began her career in 1986 working as a policy officer for the municipality of Hengelo. From 1989 to 2001 she was a member of the House of Representatives for the Christian Democratic Alliance (CDA). She ultimately became the deputy leader of her parliamentary party. In 2001 she became mayor of the municipality of Hof van Twente.
In 2007 Ms Bijleveld was appointed State Secretary for the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the fourth Balkenende government. Following the parliamentary elections in 2010 she returned to the House of Representatives for the CDA. On 1 January 2011 she took up the post of Queen’s Commissioner in the province of Overijssel.
On 26 October 2017 Ank Bijleveld was appointed Minister of Defence in the third Rutte government. In this function she has set out to win back confidence in defence and make substantial investments in defence affairs after many years of cutbacks.