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Henk Kamp

Dutch politician (born 1952)

Field	Value
name	Henk Kamp
image	Henk Kamp 2011 (1).jpg
imagesize	220px
caption	Kamp in 2011
office	Minister of Defence
term_start	24 September 2021
term_end	10 January 2022
primeminister	Mark Rutte
predecessor	Ferdinand Grapperhaus (Acting)
successor	Kajsa Ollongren
term_start1	12 December 2002
term_end1	22 February 2007
primeminister1	Jan Peter Balkenende
predecessor1	Benk Korthals
successor1	Eimert van Middelkoop
office2	Minister of Economic Affairs
term_start2	5 November 2012
term_end2	26 October 2017
primeminister2	Mark Rutte
predecessor2	Maxime Verhagen
Economic Affairs, Agriculture
and Innovation
successor2	Eric Wiebes
Economic Affairs and
Climate Policy
office3	Minister of Social Affairs
and Employment
term_start3	14 October 2010
term_end3	5 November 2012
primeminister3	Mark Rutte
predecessor3	Piet Hein Donner
successor3	Lodewijk Asscher
office4	Governor of the
Caribbean Netherlands
term_start4	1 January 2009
term_end4	10 October 2010
monarch4	Beatrix
predecessor4	Office established
successor4	Hans Gerritsen
office5	Minister of Housing, Spatial
Planning and the Environment
term_start5	22 July 2002
term_end5	27 May 2003
primeminister5	Jan Peter Balkenende
predecessor5	Jan Pronk
successor5	Sybilla Dekker
office6	Member of the House
of Representatives
term_start6	30 November 2006
term_end6	18 December 2008
term_start7	30 January 2003
term_end7	27 May 2003
term_start8	17 May 1994
term_end8	22 July 2002
parliamentarygroup8	People's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
birthname	Henricus Gregorius Jozeph Kamp
birth_date
birth_place	Hengelo, Netherlands
nationality	Dutch
party	People's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
(from 1972)
spouse
children	1 son and 1 daughter
residence	Diepenheim, Netherlands
occupation

Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and Employment](list-of-ministers-of-social-affairs-of-the-netherlands) Caribbean Netherlands](caribbean-netherlands) Planning and the Environment](list-of-ministers-of-infrastructure-of-the-netherlands-list-of-ministers-of-housing) of Representatives](house-of-representatives-netherlands) Freedom and Democracy](people-s-party-for-freedom-and-democracy) Freedom and Democracy](people-s-party-for-freedom-and-democracy) (from 1972)

Henricus Gregorius Jozeph "Henk" Kamp (; born 23 July 1952) is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) who was Minister of Defence in the Cabinet Rutte III from 24 September 2021 to 10 January 2022. He previously was Minister of Defence in the Cabinets Balkenende I, II and III from 12 December 2002 until 22 February 2007.

Kamp studied Customs at the Civil Service Academy in Utrecht. Kamp worked as a tax collector for the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) of the Tax and Customs Administration from April 1980 until May 1994. After the election of 1994 Kamp was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives on 17 May 1994 and was a frontbencher and spokesperson for Integration. After the election of 2002 Kamp was appointed as Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment in the Cabinet Balkenende I taking office on 22 July 2002. The Cabinet Balkenende I fell just 87 days into its term and shortly thereafter was appointed as Minister of Defence following the resignation of Benk Korthals taking office on 12 December 2002. After the election of 2003 Kamp continued as Minister of Defence in the Cabinet Balkenende II. The Cabinet Balkenende fell on 30 June 2006 was replaced with the caretaker Cabinet Balkenende III with Kamp retaining his position. After the election of 2006 Kamp returned to the House of Representatives on 30 November 2006 and was a frontbencher and spokesperson for Kingdom Relations. In December 2008 Kamp was nominated as the first Governor of the Caribbean Netherlands serving from 1 January 2009 until 10 October 2010.

After the election of 2010 Kamp was appointed as Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the Cabinet Rutte I taking office 14 October 2010. The Cabinet Rutte I fell 18 months into its term and shortly thereafter announced that he would not stand for the election of 2012 but accept to serve in a new cabinet position. After the election Kamp was appointed as Minister of Economic Affairs in the Cabinet Rutte II taking office on 5 November 2012. In February 2016 Kamp announced his retirement and that he wouldn't stand for the election of 2017 and declined to serve in new cabinet.

Kamp retired from active politics at 65 and became active in the private sector, and as a trade association executive serving as Chairman of the Healthcare Providers association since January 2018 and became a Member of the Social and Economic Council for the Industry and Employers confederation (VNO-NCW) in February 2018.

Early life

Henricus Gregorius Jozeph Kamp was born on 23 July 1952 in Hengelo in the Netherlands Province of Overijssel in a Roman Catholic family. He left the Roman Catholic faith years later and became a Humanist. His father died when Kamp was twelve. After completing his HAVO diploma he worked at two wholesalers in Enschede, Borculo and Tilburg until 1977. From 1977 to 1980 he attended the auditors training at the Tax Training in Utrecht. He worked as an investigator for the Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD) until 1986.

Politics

From 1976 to 1994 he was a member of the municipal council in Borculo. From 1986 he was in also alderman in Borculo. From 1987 to 1994 he was a member of the Provincial Council of Gelderland. He became a Member of the House of Representatives on 17 May 1994. On 22 July 2002, Kamp became Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment. He was Minister of Defence from December 12, 2002, till 22 February 2007. After early elections were held as a result of parliamentary agreements following the formation of the minority cabinet Balkenende III. As part of his "farewell tour" as Minister of Defence, Henk Kamp visited the Dutch troops in Afghanistan and paid his respects to president Hamid Karzai. President Karzai awarded Henk Kamp the High State Medal of Ghazi Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan. Kamp left the House of Representatives on 1 January 2009 to head the transformation of Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius to special municipalities within the Netherlands.

On 13 September 2012, the day after the parliamentary elections, Kamp was asked to prepare for the formation of a new cabinet and had exploratory conversations with several parties. Already on that very day the Parliamentary leaders in the House of Representatives met with the President of the House of Representatives Gerdi Verbeet. His opinion after the talks was to start a formation on a coalition with the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Labour Party with himself and former Leader of the Labour Party Wouter Bos as informateurs. The formation resulted in the forming of the Cabinet Rutte II and Kamp became Minister of Economic Affairs and took office on 5 November 2012. After the resignation of Minister of Security and Justice Ivo Opstelten on 10 March 2015, Kamp became the senior member of the Council of Ministers and the third highest-ranking member after Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher.

Early February 2016 Kamp announced his retirement from national politics as of the 2017 elections. He has since been a columnist for de Volkskrant. As of 2024, he lived with his wife, Linda Kamp, in the former orangery of the Nijenhuis estate in Diepenheim.

Decorations

Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
[[File:BEL Order of Leopold II - Grand Cross BAR.png	80px]]	Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II	Belgium	15 April 2006
[[File:Ordre de la couronne de Chene GO ribbon.svg	80px]]	Grand Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown	Luxembourg	25 December 2012
[[File:GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 5 GrVK Stern.svg	80px]]	Knight Commander of the Order of Merit	Germany	12 September 2013
[[File:JPN Kyokujitsu-sho 1Class BAR.svg	80px]]	1st Class, Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun	Japan	24 October 2014
[[File:Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Commander.svg	80px]]	Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	14 February 2018	Elevated from Officer (11 April 2007)

Notes

References

{{in lang. en [http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2007/02/minister_awards_afghan_preside.php Minister awards Afghan president clogs], Dutchnews.nl, 13 February 2007
(7 February 2016). "Henk Kamp kondigt afscheid van Den Haag aan". [[Nederlandse Omroep Stichting]].
Geels, Boudewijn. (10 July 2024). "Henk Kamp: 'Wilders is al een heel eind gevorderd in zijn transitie'".
{{in lang. ja [http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/ms/po/page22_001017.html Foreign honours recipients 2014], Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, 24 October 2014

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