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Minister for European Affairs
Franciscus Cornelis Gerardus Maria (Frans) Timmermans was born in Maastricht on 6 May 1961.
After completing his secondary education he went on to attend Radboud University in Nijmegen where he studied French language and literature. He obtained his degree in 1985. He followed a postgraduate course in European Law and Politics and French Literature at the University of Nancy (Diplôme d'études approfondies en littérature; Diplôme d'études supérieures européennes).
He completed his military service at the Military Intelligence Service from 1986 to 1987, after which he followed the induction course for diplomats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He subsequently worked as a policy officer in the European Integration Department of that ministry from 1988 to 1990, as Embassy Secretary at the Dutch embassy in Moscow from 1990 to 1993, and as deputy head of the Minister for Development Cooperation's EEC Affairs Section from 1993 to 1994.
From 1994 to 1995 Mr Timmermans worked for the EU Commissioner Hans van den Broek. Until 1998 he was advisor and private secretary to Max van der Stoel, the High Commissioner on National Minorities for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OCSE).
From 1998 he was a member of the House of Representatives of the States General for the Labour Party (PvdA).
Mr Timmermans also represented the House in the European Convention, acted as guest lecturer at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations "Clingendael" and at the Netherlands Defence College, and sat on the executive committee of the European Movement.
On 22 February 2007 Mr Timmermans was appointed Minister for European Affairs in the fourth Balkenende government.
22 February 2007