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Dries van Agt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Van Agt in 1976 | |
| Prime Minister of the Netherlands | |
| In office 19 December 1977 – 4 November 1982 | |
| Monarchs | Juliana Beatrix |
| Deputy | See list
|
| Preceded by | Joop den Uyl |
| Succeeded by | Ruud Lubbers |
| Ambassador of the European Union to the United States | |
| In office 1 January 1990 – 1 April 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Roy Denman |
| Succeeded by | Hugo Paemen |
| Ambassador of the European Union to Japan | |
| In office 1 January 1987 – 1 January 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Laurens Jan Brinkhorst |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Pierre Leng |
| Queen's Commissioner of North Brabant | |
| In office 1 June 1983 – 22 April 1987 | |
| Monarch | Beatrix |
| Preceded by | Jan Dirk van der Harten |
| Succeeded by | Frank Houben |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 28 May 1982 – 4 November 1982 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Max van der Stoel |
| Succeeded by | Hans van den Broek |
| Parliamentary leader in theHouse of Representatives | |
| In office 10 June 1981 – 24 August 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Ruud Lubbers |
| Succeeded by | Ruud Lubbers |
| In office 8 June 1977 – 19 December 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Willem Aantjes |
| Parliamentary group | Christian Democratic Appeal |
| Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal | |
| In office 10 December 1976 – 25 October 1982 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Ruud Lubbers |
| Deputy Prime Minister | |
| In office 11 May 1973 – 8 September 1977 | |
| Prime Minister | Joop den Uyl |
| Preceded by | Roelof Nelissen Molly Geertsema |
| Succeeded by | Gaius de Gaay Fortman |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| In office 16 September 1982 – 16 June 1983 | |
| In office 10 June 1981 – 9 September 1981 | |
| In office 8 June 1977 – 19 December 1977 | |
| In office 23 January 1973 – 22 April 1973 | |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 6 July 1971 – 8 September 1977 | |
| Prime Minister | Barend Biesheuvel Joop den Uyl |
| Preceded by | Carel Polak |
| Succeeded by | Gaius de Gaay Fortman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Andreas Antonius Maria van Agt (1931-02-02)2 February 1931 Geldrop, Netherlands |
| Died | 5 February 2024(2024-02-05) (aged 93) Nijmegen, Netherlands |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Appeal (1980–2021) |
| Other political affiliations | Catholic People's Party (until 1980) |
| Spouse | Eugenie Krekelberg |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Nijmegen, Netherlands |
| Alma mater | Radboud University Nijmegen (LL.B.,LL.M.) |
| Signature |  |
Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries"van Agt (Dutch:[ˈdrisfɑnˈɑxt]ⓘ;[a] 2 February 1931 – 5 February 2024) was a Dutch politician, jurist and diplomat who served asPrime Minister of the Netherlands from 19 December 1977 until 4 November 1982. He was a prominent leader of theCatholic People's Party (KVP) and later its successor party, theChristian Democratic Appeal (CDA).
Van Agt was known for his abilities as a skilled debater and negotiator. During his premiership, his cabinets were responsible for several major public sector and civil service reforms and further reducing the deficit following therecession in the 1980s. Van Agt continued to comment on political affairs as a statesman until he suffered a majorstroke in May 2019 which forced him to undergo rehabilitation. He held the distinction as the oldest living and earliest serving former prime minister following the death ofPiet de Jong in July 2016, until his death in February 2024.
Andreas Antonius Maria van Agt was born inGeldrop, Netherlands in aRoman Catholic family. After receiving his diploma Gymnasium-A at theAugustinianum, he studied at theCatholic University of Nijmegen, where he received his Doctorate in Law in 1955. After graduating, he practised law in Eindhoven until 1957, after which he worked in the office of legal and business affairs of theMinistry of Agriculture and Fisheries until 1962. From 1962 to 1968, he worked for theMinistry of Justice.
Van Agt entered politics as a member of theCatholic People's Party, which merged with the other two major Christian democratic parties in 1980 to form theChristian Democratic Appeal (CDA). From 1968 to 1971, Van Agt was Professor of Criminal Law at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. From 1971 to 1973, he served asMinister of Justice in thefirst andsecond Biesheuvel cabinets.[1] He caused outrage when he tried to pardon the last three Nazi war criminals still in Dutch prisons (known asThe Breda Four) in 1972. From 1973 to 1977, he served asDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice in theDen Uyl cabinet.[1]
In 1976, Van Agt was elected the firstLeader of the Christian Democratic Appeal, then still a federation of the three confessional parties: theChristian Historical Union, theCatholic People's Party and theAnti-Revolutionary Party, which contested with a united list for the first time in the1977 general election (the merger followed in 1980). With Van Agt as itslead candidate, theChristian Democratic Appeal reversed years of decline in 1977 and returned to power.
In the parliamentary election of May 1977, theLabour Party (PvdA) obtained its largest number of seats, so a second Den Uyl cabinet seemed likely. However, the tension between theCatholic People's Party and the Labour Party in the last coalition, combined with the fact that a coalition between theChristian Democratic Appeal and thePeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) was possible, the talks failed after a period of seven months. Eventually Van Agt negotiated a deal with VVD leaderHans Wiegel. From 19 December 1977 to 11 September 1981, Van Agt served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of General Affairs in the Van Agt I cabinet.
In1981 general election, the CDA and the VVD both lost parliamentary seats, so a continuation of the CDA–VVD coalition was not possible, and Van Agt was forced to enter into a coalition with the Labour Party and theDemocrats 66 (which, under Jan Terlouw, had gained a significant number of seats). Three months of difficult negotiations resulted in theVan Agt II cabinet (11 September 1981 – 29 May 1982). In this composition, Van Agt worked withJoop den Uyl again as Den Uyl was made Deputy Prime Minister and "super minister" of Social Affairs and Employment. The characterological and political differences led to several divisions, and in May 1982 the government fell.
The personal strife between Van Agt and Den Uyl had deteriorated to such an extent that when Den Uyl died from abrain tumor in 1987, Van Agt was not invited to the memorial service by the family. Den Uyl's wife Liesbeth argued that Van Agt had prevented the second Den Uyl cabinet from forming in 1977.
The caretaker government continued as a minority cabinet, with only ministers from the partiesChristian Democratic Appeal andDemocrats 66, in the Van Agt III cabinet. For replacing the sixLabour Party ministers, five new Christian Democratic Appeal and Democrats 66 ministers were appointed, while Van Agt, in addition to being prime minister, took the position ofMinister of Foreign Affairs upon him.
A new parliamentary election was planned for September 1982. Although Van Agt by this point was worn out, he was persuaded to lead his party's list again, but shortly after the election he withdrew as a candidate for prime minister and was succeeded byRuud Lubbers.
Dries van Agt served as Ambassador of theEuropean Community to Japan from 1987 to 1990 and to the United States from 1990 to 1995. From 1995 to 1996, he was a Visiting Professor of International Relations at theUniversity of Kyoto.
Until his death, Van Agt was Prime Counsellor for theInternational Forum for Justice and Peace, a foundation under Dutch law, registered at the Chamber of Commerce inAmsterdam. Chaired by retired international businessmanBen Smoes, they are currently focused on justice and peace regarding theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict.
Van Agt lectured in Cairo in May 2006 at the invitation of the Egyptian electronic magazine Arab-West Report about great changes in the cultural climate of north-western Europe in the past decades, becoming more hostile to religion, including Islam. Muslims, he argued, need to understand those changes to be able to respond better to European criticism of Islam and the Muslim world.[2]
Van Agt also spoke against the Council of State in Egypt for continuous delay in granting theCenter for Arab-West Understanding (CAWU) the NGO status. He met with prominent figures in Egypt to persuade them to do so. The Egyptian Council of State, after van Agt's visit to Cairo in 2006, ruled on 18 February 2007 that the center should be recognized as an NGO under Egyptian law, ending its three-year struggle to obtain this status. Egypt is known for its reluctance in granting NGO status to discourage political participation.Cornelis Hulsman, a Dutch sociologist, the editor-in-chief of Arab-West Report, and the head of CAWU, stated that van Agt's effort significantly impacted the realization of their goals, which usually requires a lengthy amount of time and scrutiny in its political purposes.
For some years, Van Agt took an outspoken stance regarding the Middle East, resulting in a fierce criticism of the policies undertaken by the government of Israel with regard to the Palestinians. When in office, Van Agt was a staunch supporter of Israel, but after he stepped down in 1982, he changed his mind.[3] According to his own words an important turning point was a visit at the late nineties atBethlehem University on the Israeli-occupiedWest Bank.[4][5] He accused Israel of "state terrorism" and turning the Palestinian Authority territories into "bantustans".[6]
In 2009, Van Agt founded The Rights Forum, a non-profit organization aimed at promoting a “just and sustainable Dutch and European policy regarding the Palestine/Israel issue”.[7] In 2012, he said that Jews should have had a state in Germany instead of Israel.[8] In September 2016, in reference to the visit ofPrime Minister of IsraelBenjamin Netanyahu to the Netherlands, Van Agt argued that the ongoing Israeli occupation of thePalestinian territories and the building ofsettlements there constituted awar crime under theRome Statute and suggested that Netanyahu should have been sent to theInternational Criminal Court.[9]
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Van Agt was known for his use of archaic language and complicated phrasing, as well as for his love for cycling. He married Eugenie Krekelberg in 1958, and they had three children[1] and seven grandchildren, including professional cyclistEva van Agt [nl]. In 2012, he joined the Advisory Board of theInternational Museum for Family History. Van Agt lived inHeilig Landstichting, nearNijmegen, until his death.
Van Agt and his wife, after choosingeuthanasia, died on 5 February 2024, three days after his 93rd birthday.[10] According to family, the couple died holding hands.[11] Van Agt had previously suffered a debilitating brain hemorrhage while giving a speech in 2019.[7]
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Honorary Medal for Initiative and Ingenuity of theOrder of the House of Orange | Netherlands | 19 September 1974 | |
 | Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 9 December 1982 |
| Ribbon bar | Award | Country | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honorary citizen ofGeldrop | Netherlands | 1988 | |
| Honorary citizen ofLille | France | 1998 | |
| Honorary citizen ofNorth Brabant | Netherlands | 2002 | |
| Cannabis Culture Award of theHash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum | Netherlands | 12 November 2009 |
| University | Field | Country | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radboud University Nijmegen | Law | Netherlands | |
| Ritsumeikan University | Political science | Japan | |
| Kwansei Gakuin University | Political science | Japan | |
| Hansung University | Law | South Korea | |
| University of South Carolina | Political science | United States |
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New political party | Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal 1976–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Parliamentary leader of theChristian Democratic Appeal in theHouse of Representatives 1977 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Parliamentary leader of theChristian Democratic Appeal in theHouse of Representatives 1981 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Justice 1971–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister 1973–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of the Netherlands Minister of General Affairs 1977–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Queen's Commissioner of North Brabant 1983–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | Ambassador of the European Union to Japan 1987–1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ambassador of the European Union to the United States 1990–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by | Oldest living former Dutch Prime Minister 2016–2024 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
| Other | |
