Eelco Heinen | |
|---|---|
 Heinen in 2024 | |
| Minister of Finance | |
| Assumed office 2 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Dick Schoof |
| Preceded by | Steven van Weyenberg |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 12 November 2025 | |
| In office 31 March 2021 – 2 July 2024 | |
| Succeeded by | Martijn Buijsse |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eelco Heinen (1981-04-27)27 April 1981 (age 44) |
| Political party | VVD (2006–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | |
Eelco Heinen (born 27 April 1981) is a Dutch politician serving since 2 July 2024 as theMinister of Finance. A member of thePeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), he held a seat in theHouse of Representatives between March 2021 and July 2024, and he previously worked as a party staffer.
He was born in 1981 in theNorth Holland townLaren and studiedcomputer science at theAmsterdam University of Applied Sciences from 1998 until 2002. Heinen subsequently studied economics at theUniversity of Amsterdam. After he graduated with aMaster of Science degree inmacroeconomics in 2005, he did another master's in international relations. He became a policy officer at theMinistry of Finance in 2007.[1]
Between 2011 and 2014, Heinen worked as senior finance policy advisor for the VVD's House caucus and was promoted to political secretary and head of policy in the latter year.[2][3] He had joined the VVD in 2006.[4] He served as a member of the campaign team for the2017 election and also helped write theelection program.[3][5]
Heinen – then alsopolitical assistant ofMPKlaas Dijkhoff – ran for member of parliament in the2021 general election, being placed twelfth on the VVD'sparty list.[6] He was again member of the campaign team and of the election program committee.[7][8] He was elected, receiving 679preference votes, and he was sworn in as House member on 31 March.[9] Heinen's specialties weregovernment budget, European and internationalmonetary policy, financial markets, financial supervision, state participation, government expenditure, macroeconomic policy, European economic policy, and National Growth Fund, and he was on the Committees for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, European Affairs, Finance, and Public Expenditure.[1][10] When prices of petrol were on the rise, Heinen proposed to bring a planned increase in the tax-exempt traveling allowance forward in time.[11] He also complained about spending by the cabinet without the House's approval. The cabinet has this power in case of a crisis, but Heinen decried their repeated use of the provision.[12] He later filed anamendment to only allow usage if the House agreed with the cabinet's reasoning of necessity.[13]
When thefourth Rutte cabinet collapsed in July 2023 – triggeringa snap election in November – Heinen became the VVD's campaign leader.[14] Following the election, Heinen remained the VVD's spokesperson for finances and macroeconomic policy (excluding taxation).[15] Furthermore, he assisted party leaderDilan Yeşilgöz alongsideSophie Hermans intalks to form a new governing coalition between thePVV, VVD,NSC, andBBB.[16]
Heinen was sworn in asMinister of Finance in the resultingSchoof cabinet on 2 July 2024, succeedingSteven van Weyenberg.[17][18] The cabinet's proposal for the2025 Netherlands budget was presented by Heinen in September 2024, and it would result in a projectedbudget deficit of 2.5% ofGDP. Referring to past low interest rates, Heinen declared that the "time of free money is really over," using this shift to justify the proposal's budget cuts.[19] ATrouw article subsequently mentioned that Heinen presented himself as a "strict guardian of the treasury" and that he helped the VVD return to its traditionalliberal economic values.[20]
In November 2024,Nora Achahbar stepped down as state secretary, reportedly due to remarks she considered offensive, radical, and potentially racist during aCouncil of Ministers meeting followingattacks in Amsterdam targeting supporters of the Israeli football clubMaccabi Tel Aviv F.C. Her resignation triggered crisis talks that ultimately averted a cabinet collapse.[21] One particular comparison aboutantisemitism being more stubborn than apustule, supposedly made by Heinen, was among those circulating in the media. In response, Heinen stated that he was furious and that he did not recognize himself in the reports.[22][23]
Heinen has advocated for the further integration ofcapital markets in the European Union (EU) to increase private investments, calling it the continent's only way to stir economic growth. He has been critical ofEurobonds, proposedgovernment bonds jointly issued by member states, arguing that they would lead to higher debts, low growth, and protectionism.[24]
Heinen has a Spanish wife called Inés, and they have two sons.[25] He is a resident ofThe Hague.[1]
| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 2021 | House of Representatives | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy | 12 | 679 | 34 | Won | [26] | |
| 2023 | 7 | 3,159 | 24 | Won | [27] | |||
| 2025 | 2 | 126,213 | 22 | Won | [28] | |||
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 2024–present | Incumbent |
House of Representatives 12 November 2025 – present | ||
| Democrats 66 26 seats |  | |
| Party for Freedom 26 seats | ||
| People's Party for Freedom and Dem. 22 seats | ||
| GroenLinks–Labour Party 20 seats | ||
| Christian Democratic Appeal 18 seats | ||
| JA21 9 seats | ||
| Forum for Democracy 7 seats | ||
| Farmer–Citizen Movement 4 seats | ||
| Denk 3 seats | ||
| Reformed Political Party 3 seats | ||
| Party for the Animals 3 seats | ||
| Christian Union 3 seats | ||
| Socialist Party 3 seats | ||
| 50Plus 2 seats | ||
| Volt 1 seat | ||
Bold indicates theparliamentary leader (first mentioned) and theSpeaker; (Brackets) indicate a temporarily absent member; Italics indicate a temporary member; ‹Guillemets› indicate a member who has left the House of Representatives See also:Members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2023–2027 | ||
