Reinette Klever | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Klever in 2024 | |
| Minister for Foreign Trade and Development | |
| Assumed office 2 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Dick Schoof |
| Minister | Caspar Veldkamp |
| Preceded by | Liesje Schreinemacher |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| In office 20 September 2012 – 23 March 2017 | |
| Member of theSenate | |
| In office 7 June 2011 – 20 September 2012 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Reinette Joanne Klever (1967-07-21)21 July 1967 (age 57) Weesp, Netherlands |
| Political party | Party for Freedom |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
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| Residence(s) | Ermelo, Netherlands |
| Occupation |
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Reinette Joanne Klever (born 21 July 1967) is a Dutch politician,asset manager and broadcaster. She has served asMinister for Foreign Trade and Development in theSchoof cabinet since July 2024, on behalf of theParty for Freedom (PVV).
Klever studiedbusiness economics, and she worked for banks and other companies in Paris, New York City, andSantiago.[1] She was a member of theSenate for theParty for Freedom (PVV) from 7 June 2011 to 20 September 2012. She subsequently served as member of theHouse of Representatives between 20 September 2012 and 23 March 2017, and she was her party's spokesperson for healthcare, economic affairs, and energy.[1][2][3] She advocated abolishing health insurancedeductibles and proposed to fund this by scrapping the entiredevelopment cooperation budget.[1] She also referred toclimate change as hoax by the elite in a social media post she later deleted.[4] After her departure from politics in 2017, Klever returned as an employee in her husband'sinvestment company. She complained that her experience as a PVV politician complicated finding jobs.[1]
She joined a think tank advocating aDutch withdrawal from the European Union in 2019, and she co-founded thealternative media broadcasting associationOngehoord Nederland (ON!) in 2020. She served as an administrator and correspondent of itsZwarte Pietenjournaal, aSinterklaas-themed news broadcast that was an alternative toHet Sinterklaasjournaal after it stopped including theblackface characterZwarte Piet.[4] When ON! was admitted to theDutch public broadcasting system in 2022, Klever became a board member and a regular commentator on its TV programOngehoord Nieuws [nl].[3][4] She has repeatedly criticized the broadcasting system, which fined ON! for violating its journalistic code.[5] During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Klever spreadanti-vaccine messaging, and she shared social media posts promoting theGreat Reset conspiracy theory.[4]
After the PVV,VVD,NSC, andBBB formed theSchoof cabinet, Klever was sworn in as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development on 2 July 2024, serving as aminister without portfolio at theMinistry of Foreign Affairs.[1][6] "Development cooperation" was changed to "development" in the title.[4] During her confirmation hearing, she was asked about her sharing asocial media post aboutomvolking, referring to the far-rightGreat Replacement conspiracy theory. Klever refused to distance herself from the term as she had not used it, and she called it a "factual description of a demographic trend".[7][8] Amotion of no confidence against her byGroenLinks–PvdA did not receive a majority during the cabinet's inaugural debate.[4] AfterGeenStijl, a blog, reported in August 2024 that Klever had handed over her duties as board member of ON! to her daughter, the Dutch Media Authority responded it was looking into the matter. Klever denied the allegations.[9]
Klever was tasked with executing a budget cut of €2.4 billion per year starting in 2027 that was agreed on in thecoalition agreement.[4] She told that the government should prioritize Dutch citizens, and she questioned the scale of Dutch contributions towards internationalLGBTQ rights.[10] Klever announced that subsidies fornon-governmental organization in the period 2026–2030 would be decreased from €1.4 billion to €0.4 billion, prioritizing organizations with alternative sources of funding.[11] During cabinet negotiations for the2025 budget, Klever requested additional funds in line with economic growth. However, Minister of FinanceEelco Heinen decided to decouple the development aid budget from the size of the economy, which had been in place for decades.[12]
She explored the idea of sheltering rejected African asylum seekers inUganda in exchange for financial compensation. However, after a trip by Klever to the country, Ugandan foreign affairs ministerJeje Odongo denied that the topic had been discussed.[13][14]
Klever is the daughter ofWim Klever, a philosopher specialized inBaruch Spinoza. As of 2024, she lived with her husband inErmelo,Gelderland.[4]
Media related toReinette Klever at Wikimedia Commons
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Minister for Foreign Trade and Development 2024–present | Incumbent |
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