Hans van den Broek, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs
Henri "Hans" van den Broek (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɑ̃ːri ˈɦɑns fɑn dɛm ˈbruk] (listen); born 11 December 1936) is a retired Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP) and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as European Commissioner from 6 January 1993 until 16 September 1999.
Van den Broek studied Law at the Utrecht University obtaining a Master of Laws degree. Van den Broek worked as a lawyer in Rotterdam from May 1965 until September 1968 and as a corporate director at a company in Ede from September 1968 until October 1976. Van den Broek became a Member of the House of Representatives on 12 October 1976 serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Justice. After the election of 1981 Van den Broek was appointed as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Van Agt II taking office on 11 September 1981. The Cabinet Van Agt II fell just seven months into its term and was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Van Agt III with Van den Broek retaining his position. After the election of 1982 Van den Broek was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs taking office on 4 November 1982. After the elections of 1986 and 1989 Van den Broek continued his office in the Cabinets Lubbers II and III.
In November 1992 Van den Broek was nominated as the next European Commissioner in the Third Delors Commission, and was given the heavy portfolios of External Relations and Enlargement taking office on 6 January 1993. In November 1994 Van den Broek was re-nominated for a second term in the Santer Commission, and keept his previous portfolios with addition of Neighbourhood Policy serving from 25 January 1995 until 16 September 1999.
Van den Broek retired from active politics at 62 and became active in the private and public sectors as a corporate and non-profit director and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government and as a occasional diplomat for economic and diplomatic delegations. Following his retirement Van den Broek continued to be active as an advocate and lobbyist for Human rights, nuclear disarmament and for more European integration. Van den Broek was known for his abilities as a skillful negotiator and effective mediator. Van den Broek was granted the honorary title of Minister of State on 25 February 2005 and continued to comment on political affairs as a statesman until his retirement in 2010. He holds the distinction of as the third longest-serving Minister of Foreign Affairs with 10 years, 60 days.