Thierry Aartsen | |
|---|---|
 Aartsen in 2018 | |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 13 September 2018 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alfons Adrianus Aartsen (1989-12-19)19 December 1989 (age 35) Breda,Netherlands |
| Political party | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) |
Alfons Adrianus (Thierry) Aartsen (born 19 December 1989) is a Dutch politician who has been serving as a Member of theHouse of Representatives since September 2018. He served as a councillor ofBreda municipality between 2010 and 2018. Aartsen is a member of thePeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).
Aartsen completed thehavo at theNewmancollege inBreda. Afterwards, he studied European Studies atThe Hague University of Applied Sciences, where he obtained a bachelor's degree.[1]
Aartsen joined thePeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) in 2007.[1] In 2010, Aartsen was elected a member of the Breda municipal council. He was re-elected twice, in 2014 and 2018. He served as the chairman of the VVD in the council from 2015 to 2018. Aartsen also worked as an account manager at FME-CWM from 2013 to 2018.[1]
For the2017 general election, Aartsen placed 46th on the VVD's list of candidates, which was not high enough for him to be elected. In September 2018, the VVD announced that they had selected Aartsen to succeedJeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. On 13 September, he was sworn in as a member of theHouse of Representatives.[2] When he took office, he received criticism for a number of tweets that he had posted a few years earlier concerningsuicides by train causing him delays. He apologised for the tweets.[3] Following hisre-election in 2023, Aartsen became the VVD's spokesperson forsocioeconomic policy, labor conditions,labor migration, retirement benefits, and theDutch royal house.[4]
Aartsen has referred to the Dutchwelfare system as "a kind of redistribution monster", arguing that reductions in benefits as income increases discourage work and place the workingmiddle class at a disadvantage. He has advocated for reforms to the system of benefits andtax credits.[5]
He wrote awhite paper on labor migration in 2024, marking a partial break with the VVD's prior stance against limiting the practice. Aartsen attributed housing, education, and healthcare issues to increased migration overall, which he described as the most pressing political issue. He argued that reliance on unskilled foreign workers should be reduced by subsidizing automation and by ultimately increasing labor costs for specific sectors. Aartsen also suggested that companies along with municipalities should take on greater responsibility for housing labor migrants.[6][7]
 |
| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 2017 | House of Representatives | VVD | 46 | 1,342 | 33 | Lost[a] | [8] | |
| 2021 | House of Representatives | VVD | 11 | 5,441 | 34 | Won | [9] | |
| 2023 | House of Representatives | VVD | 13 | 4,071 | 24 | Won | [10] | |
