Jan Klink
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
2 June 2021
Preceded byBas van 't Wout
Alderman in Wijdemeren
In office
9 May 2018[1] – 26 March 2021[2]
Succeeded byJos Kea
Member of the Wijdemeren municipal council
In office
29 March 2018[3] – 9 May 2018
Succeeded byMichiel van Balen[1]
Personal details
Born
Johannes Jacobus Klink[4]

(1985-02-18) 18 February 1985 (age 39)
Wittewierum, Netherlands
Political partyPeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD)
SpouseIrma Klink
Children4
Alma materWageningen University & Research
OccupationCivil servant, farmer

Johannes Jacobus "Jan" Klink (born 18 February 1985) is a Dutch civil servant and politician for the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Born in the province of Groningen, he co-owned a dairy farm and worked at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. He was elected to the Wijdemeren municipal council in 2018 and became an alderman shortly after. Klink was appointed to the House of Representatives in June 2021.

Early life and career

Klink was born in the hamlet of Wittewierum in Groningen.[4] His family moved to Boven Pekela, located in the same province, in 1998.[5][6] His parents owned a dairy farm in that village, and his father died due to a work accident in 2000. Klink, his mother, and his two younger brothers continued the farm and hired a manager for day-to-day operations.[7][8][9] Between 2003 and 2010, Klink did a bachelor's in Business and Consumer Sciences followed by a master's in Management and Economics at Wageningen University & Research. While studying, he assisted House of Representatives member Janneke Snijder-Hazelhoff (VVD), whose specialty was agriculture.[10]

After his graduation, Klink became a financial economic policy adviser at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. He was promoted to senior policy officer of the agriculture and nature directorate-general in 2011 and held that same position at the ministry's directorate General Economic Policy starting in 2016. He kept working for the ministry until his appointment as alderman in 2018.[10] Klink's family sold their 100 ha (250-acre) dairy farm with 230 cows in 2014, the year following its manager's death.[8]

Politics

Wijdemeren

Klink was the VVD's second candidate in Wijdemeren in the 2018 municipal elections after he had assisted the party's caucus in the municipal council for five months.[11][12] He was elected and was installed as municipal councilor on 18 March.[3] Klink left the council on 9 May to serve as alderman of finances, economic affairs, education, and the Environmental and Planning Act in Wijdemeren's new municipal executive.[13][14]

At the end of the year, De Lokale Partij filed a censure motion against him, which was joined by the other opposition party in the council. They alleged that Klink had provided incomplete and partially false information to the council by saying that he was unsure of the cost of disbanding a municipal cooperation. Klink defended himself by saying that he only learned the cost four days after his comments.[15][16] At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he announced that businesses would be able to postpone tax and other payments to the municipality.[17]

House of Representatives

Klink was placed 35th on the VVD's party list in the 2021 general election. He received 1,092 preference votes, and his party won 34 seats, causing Klink to not be elected.[18] He stepped down as alderman a few days later, because a better result for the VVD had been predicted based on preliminary results.[2] He was appointed as the temporary replacement of House member Bas van 't Wout, who went on sick leave due to an occupational burnout, on 2 June 2021.[19][20] Klink became a permanent member of the House of Representatives on 7 September following Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius's resignation.[21][22] His specialties in the House are international trade and development aid. He is on the Committees for Defense, for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (chair), for European Affairs, for Foreign Affairs, for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, for the Interior (vice chair), and for Kingdom Relations as well as on the Benelux Parliament.[10][23] After a snap election was called for November 2023, Klink announced he would not run for re-election to spend more time with his children.[24]

He and his wife appeared 11th and 10th, respectively, on the VVD's party list in the 2022 municipal elections in Wijdemeren.[25]

Personal life

Klink has a wife named Irma, two daughters, and two sons, and he lives in the North Holland town of Loosdrecht.[7][10][25][26][27] He and his wife own a bed and breakfast.[28]

References

  1. ^ a b "Vergadering Extra gemeenteraad ivm installatie college 09-05-2018" [Meeting Extra municipal council meeting because of the installation of the municipal executive 09-05-2018]. Wijdemeren (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b Van Keken, Hans (22 March 2021). "Loosdrechter Jos Kea opvolger van vertrekkend wethouder Jan Klink" [Loosdrecht resident Jos Kea successor of departing alderman Jan Klink]. Noordhollands Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Transcript van de raadsvergadering van de gemeente Wijdemeren d.d. 29 maart 2018" [Minutes of the council meeting of the municipality of Wijdemeren of 29 March 2018] (PDF). Wijdemeren (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b "J.J. (Jan) Klink". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Kinderspeelweek Boven Pekela in teken van Halloween" [Children's activities week Boven Pekela has a Halloween theme]. Dagblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 10 August 2004.
  6. ^ Aftellen naar de verkiezingen – Jan Klink [Countdown to the elections – Jan Klink] (in Dutch). Agrio TV. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ a b Bouwmeester, René; De la Court, Joost; Hallema, Tys; Wouda, Tienke. "Deze aspirant-Kamerleden willen het boerengeluid laten horen" [These aspiring House members want to make the farmers heard]. Nieuwe Oogst (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  8. ^ a b Klink, Jan (25 February 2021). "Klink (VVD): 'Met innoveren realistische doelen bereiken'" [Klink (VVD): 'Reaching realistic goals by innovation']. Food&Agribusiness (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Mariska Vermaas. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  9. ^ Klink, Jan (11 March 2021). "Drie vragen aan Tweede Kamer-kandidaat Jan Klink (VVD): 'Zou graag een brug willen slaan tussen Den Haag en Gooi en Vecht'" [Three questions for House of Representatives candidate Jan Klink (VVD): 'Would like to build a bridges between The Hague and Gooi and Vecht']. Noordhollands Dagblad (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Leander Mascini. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d "Jan Klink". Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  11. ^ Frisart, Ronald (6 December 2017). "Sieta Vermeulen (VVD) is trots op 'mooie kieslijst'" [Sieta Vermeulen (VVD) is proud of 'beautiful party list']. De Gooi- en Eemlander (in Dutch). p. 7.
  12. ^ "Nevenactiviteiten van Jan Klink" [Secondary activities of Jan Klink]. Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  13. ^ Frisart, Ronald (24 April 2018). "'Binnen 10 jaar naar 1 gemeente'" ['To one municipality within ten years']. De Gooi- en Eemlander (in Dutch). p. 4.
  14. ^ Van Keken, Hans (3 December 2019). "Wijdemeers VVD-wethouder Jan Klink hoog op concept-kandidatenlijst voor nieuwe Tweede Kamer" [Wijdemeren VVD Alderman Jan Klink high on draft party list for the new House of Representatives]. De Gooi- en Eemlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  15. ^ Frisart, Ronald (14 December 2018). "Coalitie Wijdemeren redt wethouder Klink voor geven 'onjuiste' informatie" [Wijdemeren coalition rescues alderman Klink for providing 'false' information]. De Gooi- en Eemlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  16. ^ Frisart, Ronald (22 December 2018). "Wethouder Klink gaat gebutst het reces in" [Alderman Klink enters recess damaged]. De Gooi- en Eemlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  17. ^ Van Keken, Hans (28 April 2019). "Wijdemeren: Uitstel voor ondernemers die nu moeite hebben met belastingen betalen" [Wijdemeren: Postponement for entrepreneurs who are now struggling to pay taxes]. De Gooi- en Eemlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Tweede Kamer 17 maart 2021" [House of Representatives 17 March 2021]. Databank Verkiezingsuitslagen (in Dutch). Kiesraad. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Jan Klink beëdigd als VVD-Kamerlid" [Jan Klink sworn in as VVD House member]. Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (Press release) (in Dutch). 2 June 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Minister van Economische Zaken Van 't Wout legt functie neer vanwege burn-out" [Minister of Economic Affairs Van 't Wout steps down because of occupational burnout]. NOS (in Dutch). 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  21. ^ "Benoemingen Tweede Kamerleden" [Appointments of members of the House of Representatives]. Kiesraad (Press release) (in Dutch). 7 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  22. ^ "Vijf Kamerleden beëdigd" [Five House members sworn in]. Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (Press release) (in Dutch). 7 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  23. ^ "Jan Klink". VVD (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  24. ^ "In Wittewierum geboren VVD'er Klink verlaat ook landelijke politiek na verkiezingen" [Wittewierum-born VVD member Klink departs from national politics as well after elections]. Dagblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 1 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  25. ^ a b Van Keken, Hans (21 January 2022). "Lijstaanvoerder Wijdemeerse VVD is 23-jarige Bo de Kruijff" [23-year-old Bo de Kruijff is the lead candidate of the Wijdemeren VVD]. De Gooi- en Eemlander (in Dutch). p. 2.
  26. ^ Klink, Jan [@KlinkJan] (3 June 2021). "En nu kon mijn vijf weken oude zoontje bij de installatie zijn!" [And my five-week-old son could now be present at my installation!] (Tweet) (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 July 2021 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Klink, Jan [@KlinkJan] (18 February 2023). "Voor het eerst sinds lange tijd ballonnen op m'n verjaardag! Ze zijn alleen niet voor mij, maar voor de geboorte van onze zoon Pelle 👶" [For the first time since a long while balloons on my birthday! However, they are not for me, but for the birth of our son Pelle 👶] (Tweet) (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 March 2023 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ De Bont, Malu (5 September 2021). "Van Airbnb tot tweede woning: deze Kamerleden bezitten overtollig vastgoed" [From Airbnb to second house: These House members own excess real estate]. Quote (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
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