Pim van Strien explained

Pim van Strien
Office:Member of the House of Representatives
Term Start:31 March 2021
Birth Name:Pim Johannes Thomas van Strien
Birth Date:29 April 1977
Birth Place:Tilburg, Netherlands
Party:People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
Alma Mater:Maastricht University
Children:2

Pim Johannes Thomas van Strien (born 29 April 1977) is a Dutch politician of the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) who has served as a member of the House of Representatives since 2021. He previously worked as a press officer for the VVD and Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.

Early life and career

Van Strien was born in 1977 in the North Brabant city of Tilburg.[1] He attended Concord College in the English county of Shropshire in the years 1993–95 before studying international law at Maastricht University.[2] Van Strien was a member of the student association Circumflex and its debating society Ambiorix, and he interned at the United Nations as part of the staff of Secretary-General Kofi Annan.[3] [4]

He worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and took a job at the VVD in 2006, initially serving as a political adviser and later as a press officer.[4] [5] Van Strien became chief spokesperson for Minister of Economic Affairs Henk Kamp (VVD) in 2014 after having served as one of his spokespeople for one year. Starting in 2018, he led the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy's communication strategy and external affairs department.[3] [4]

Van Strien was the VVD's 31st candidate in the 2021 general election and was elected to the House of Representatives with 463 preference votes.[6] He was sworn in on 31 March.[7] Van Strien's specialties in the House are the knowledge economy, industrial policy, economic innovation, media, and culture, and he is on the Committees for Art; for Digital Affairs; for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy; for Education, Culture and Science; for Finance; and for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (vice chair). He is also on the House's contact groups Germany, United Kingdom, and United States and on its delegation to the Benelux Parliament.[1] [8] In June 2021, when during the COVID-19 pandemic infections with the coronavirus were declining in the Netherlands, Van Strien called on the government to grant more permits for festivals and other cultural activities to support the struggling cultural sector.[9] He also pled for the framing of an accord to improve the Dutch business climate. Van Strien had criticized a bill that would require companies to adhere to corporate social responsibility principles for this reason.[10]

He lost his bid for re-election in November 2023, bringing an end to this membership of the House. After the VVD joined the Schoof cabinet in July 2024, Van Strien initiated a petition with fellow party members in which they criticized the party's cooperation with the right-wing populist Party for Freedom (PVV).[11]

Personal life

While a House of Representatives member, Van Strien moved from the Amsterdam borough of Westerpark to Haarlem. He has a girlfriend and two sons, who were born in 2017 and 2020.[1] [12] [13]

Electoral history

Year! scope="col" rowspan=2
BodyPartyVotesResult.
Party seatsIndividual
2021House of RepresentativesPeople's Party for Freedom and Democracystyle=text-align:right 31style=text-align:right 463style=text-align:right 34[14]
2023House of RepresentativesPeople's Party for Freedom and Democracystyle=text-align:right 34style=text-align:right 853style=text-align:right 24[15]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pim van Strien . . 19 November 2023 . 31 March 2021 .
  2. First Member of Parliament from Concord!!! . Concord College . 3 October 2021 . 27 March 2021 .
  3. From Maastricht to The Hague . . Kools . Femke . 25 February 2021 . 3 October 2021 .
  4. Web site: Wie is Pim . Who is Pim? . nl . Pim van Strien . 3 October 2021 .
  5. News: . nl . 2 October 2021 . Twaalf Amsterdammers maken entree in Tweede Kamer . 18 March 2021 . Twelve Amsterdam residents enter House of Representatives . Koops . Ruben . Meijs . Floor .
  6. Web site: Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 17 maart 2021 Proces-verbaal . PDF . Results general election 17 March 2021 Report . 14 and 157 . 2 October 2021 . 29 March 2021 . Kiesraad . nl .
  7. Web site: P.J.T. (Pim) van Strien . Parlement.com . 6 September 2022 . nl .
  8. Web site: Pim van Strien . nl . 2 October 2021 . .
  9. News: 'Sneller meer vergunningen voor festivals en kermissen' . 14 June 2021 . . 3 October 2021 . nl . 'More quickly more permits for festivals and fairs' .
  10. News: VVD'er Pim van Strien wil vestigingsklimaatakkoord: 'Moeten banen en boterham behouden' . . nl . 1 April 2023 . Visser . Peter . 16 February 2023 . VVD member Pim van Strien wants business climate accord: 'We should keep jobs and livelihoods' .
  11. News: VVD'ers beginnen petitie over samenwerking met de PVV: 'Politiek die niet bij ons past' . subscription . 10 July 2024 . De Koning . Petra . 10 July 2024 . nl . . VVD members start a petition about cooperation with the PVV: 'Politics that do not align with us' .
  12. News: . nl . 13 March 2021 . 16 . Pim van Strien (43, VVD) .
  13. Web site: Mijn wijk . My neighborhood . nl . 27 March 2022 . Pim van Strien .
  14. Web site: Proces-verbaal verkiezingsuitslag Tweede Kamer 2021 . Dutch Electoral Council . nl . 21 December 2023 . PDF . 29 March 2021 . Report of the election results House of Representatives 2021 . 14–15 .
  15. Web site: Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023 . Dutch Electoral Council . nl . 21 December 2023 . PDF . 4 December 2023 . Report of the results of the election of the House of Representatives on 4 December 2023 . 15–16 .