Hans Hillen

Johannes Stefanus Joseph "Hans" Hillen (born 17 June 1947) is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and journalist.

Hans Hillen
Minister of Defence
In office 14 October 2010 – 5 November 2012
Prime Minister	Mark Rutte
Preceded by	Eimert van Middelkoop
Succeeded by	Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert
Member of the Senate
In office 12 June 2007 – 14 October 2010
Parliamentary group	Christian Democratic Appeal
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 20 March 1990 – 23 May 2002
Parliamentary group	Christian Democratic Appeal
Personal details
Born	Johannes Stefanus Joseph Hillen (1947-06-17) 17 June 1947 The Hague, Netherlands
Political party	Christian Democratic Appeal (from 1980)
Other political affiliations	Catholic People's Party (until 1980)
Residence(s)	Hilversum, Netherlands
Alma mater	Utrecht University (Bachelor of Social Science, Master of Social Science)
Occupation	Politician · Civil servant · Political consultant · Corporate director · Nonprofit director · Trade association executive · Teacher · Journalist · Editor · Television presenter · Author · Columnist · Political pundit · Lobbyist

Biography

Early life

Hillen studied sociology at Utrecht University. He has been a (sports) journalist for the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), a teacher and a civil servant (in the eighties he was spokesman for the minister of Finance Onno Ruding and defender of his outspoken budget cuts) before entering in politics

Politics

From 1990 till 2002 he was a member of the House of Representatives and from 2007 till 2010 a member of the Senate. From October 14, 2010, to November 5, 2012, he was minister of Defence. He is in favor of a strong defence and close ties with NATO.

Other activities

From 2003 till 2007 Hillen was president of CVZ, the Dutch council for the healthcare, and from 2005 till 2010 a member of the executive board of the Dutch employers' organization VNO-NCW. He also did some writing, he wrote columns for Elsevier and Katholiek Nieuwsblad.

Furthermore, he is involved in the Edmund Burke Foundation, a Dutch conservative think tank. In 2004 he left the advisory council because a conflict of opinion with prominent co-member Bart Jan Spruyt, who wanted to found a new political party with Geert Wilders.

Personal life

Hillen is married and resides in Hilversum. He is a member of the Roman Catholic Church.

Decorations

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	7 December 2012	Elevated from Knight (22 May 2002)

External links

Official

• (in Dutch) Drs. J.S.J. (Hans) Hillen Parlement & Politiek
• (in Dutch) Drs. J.S.J. Hillen (CDA) Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal