Eberhard van der Laan
Encyclopedia
Eberhard Edzard van der Laan (born June 28, 1955 in Leiden) is a Dutch
politician of the Labour Party
(Partij van de Arbeid). He has been the Mayor of Amsterdam since July 7, 2010. Before serving as Mayor he was Minister of Integration and Housing in the Cabinet Balkenende IV succeeding the sacked Ella Vogelaar
. He resigned with the rest of the Labour Party
cabinet members on February 23, 2010.
in Amsterdam. He co-founded the legal firm Kennedy Van der Laan.
On November 14, 2008 he succeeded Ella Vogelaar
as Minister of Housing and Integration in the fourth cabinet Balkenende. Before he was a local councillor for the Labour Party in Amsterdam
.
He is known for his strong opposition to multiculturalism. During his appointment as Minister of Housing and Integration, there has been an increase in the suppression of minority (immigrant) cultures in the Netherlands. Turkish and Arabic language TV channels have been dropped off basic Cable TV offerings and politicians have actively been discouraged against campaigning in minority languages. In the local elections, politicians were criticized by Mr van der Laan for distributing election leaflets in minority languages and in some cases leaflets were collected. Due to this anti-Multicultural stand in a multicultural city, van der Laan has been accused of hypocrisy by its own party's PvdA
main candidate. Ironically he was subsequently appointed (in The Netherlands mayors are not elected) as the mayor of the multicultural city of Amsterdam.
In 2006 he was informateur in the negotiations of the new Amsterdam local executive. On 23 June 2010 he was nominated by the Amsterdam city council to become Mayor of Amsterdam. This nomination is subject to Royal assent
.
, art foundation De Appel and children's circus Elleboog.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
politician of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
(Partij van de Arbeid). He has been the Mayor of Amsterdam since July 7, 2010. Before serving as Mayor he was Minister of Integration and Housing in the Cabinet Balkenende IV succeeding the sacked Ella Vogelaar
Ella Vogelaar
Drs. Catharina Pieternella Vogelaar was minister of Integration and Housing in the Fourth cabinet Balkenende for the PvdA from February 22, 2007 to November 13, 2008...
. He resigned with the rest of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
cabinet members on February 23, 2010.
Family and education
Van der Laan graduated in 1983 cum laude in law at the Vrije UniversiteitVrije Universiteit
The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...
in Amsterdam. He co-founded the legal firm Kennedy Van der Laan.
Politics
He started his political career as assistant to the Amsterdam alderman Jan Schaefer. Between 1990 and 1998 he was member of the Amsterdam city council, from 1993 as the chair of the Labour Party group After leaving politics he became a full-time lawyer.On November 14, 2008 he succeeded Ella Vogelaar
Ella Vogelaar
Drs. Catharina Pieternella Vogelaar was minister of Integration and Housing in the Fourth cabinet Balkenende for the PvdA from February 22, 2007 to November 13, 2008...
as Minister of Housing and Integration in the fourth cabinet Balkenende. Before he was a local councillor for the Labour Party in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
.
He is known for his strong opposition to multiculturalism. During his appointment as Minister of Housing and Integration, there has been an increase in the suppression of minority (immigrant) cultures in the Netherlands. Turkish and Arabic language TV channels have been dropped off basic Cable TV offerings and politicians have actively been discouraged against campaigning in minority languages. In the local elections, politicians were criticized by Mr van der Laan for distributing election leaflets in minority languages and in some cases leaflets were collected. Due to this anti-Multicultural stand in a multicultural city, van der Laan has been accused of hypocrisy by its own party's PvdA
PVDA
PVDA can stand for*Labour Party , a Dutch political party: Partij van de Arbeid, normally written PvdA.*Workers' Party of Belgium, a Belgian political party: Partij van de Arbeid van België...
main candidate. Ironically he was subsequently appointed (in The Netherlands mayors are not elected) as the mayor of the multicultural city of Amsterdam.
In 2006 he was informateur in the negotiations of the new Amsterdam local executive. On 23 June 2010 he was nominated by the Amsterdam city council to become Mayor of Amsterdam. This nomination is subject to Royal assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
.
Trivia
He remained active as a chair of the board of the Resistance Museum and the W.E. Jansenfonds. He also was a member of the board of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting and the board of Het Nieuwe Parool. He also was a member of the board of the De Groene AmsterdammerDe Groene Amsterdammer
De Groene Amsterdammer is an independent Dutch weekly newsmagazine published in Amsterdam and distributed throughout the Netherlands. It is conventionally considered to be one of the four most influential written media in its sector, along with HP/De Tijd, Vrij Nederland and Elsevier.- History and...
, art foundation De Appel and children's circus Elleboog.
External links
Eberhard van der Laan at Parlement & Politiek Eberhard van der Laan at Amsterdam.nl- English résumé at Amsterdam.nl