Elisabeth "Liesje" Schreinemacher (born 13 May 1983) is a Dutch lawyer and politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) who served as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the fourth Rutte cabinet from 10 January 2022 to 2 July 2024. She previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2019 until 2022.[1]

Liesje Schreinemacher
Schreinemacher in 2023
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
In office
15 April 2024 – 2 July 2024
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded byGeoffrey van Leeuwen
Succeeded byReinette Klever
In office
10 January 2022 – 4 December 2023
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded byTom de Bruijn
Succeeded byGeoffrey van Leeuwen
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Acting
In office
1 September 2023 – 5 September 2023
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded byWopke Hoekstra
Succeeded byHanke Bruins Slot
Member of the European Parliament
for the Netherlands
In office
2 July 2019 – 10 January 2022
Personal details
Born
Elisabeth Schreinemacher

(1983-05-13) 13 May 1983 (age 41)
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Political partyPeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy
EducationUvA (BSc, MSc, LLB)
Leiden University (LLM)

Early life and education

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Schreinemacher was born on 13 May 1983 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

In 2002, Schreinemacher went to the University of Amsterdam (UvA) where she obtained a BSc in 2006, followed by an MSc degree in 2008, both in Communication Science. As part of this degree, she undertook electives at San Francisco State University and Sciences Po. In 2012, she obtained a LLB degree in Law from the UvA, before going on to Leiden University, where she obtained an LLM degree in Civil law in 2015.

Early career

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Between 2009 and 2012, Schreinemacher served as an assistant to Dutch MPs Johan Remkes and Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. She then went on to become an adviser at the Dutch Ministry of Defence until 2016. Between 2016 and 2019, she worked as a lawyer, specialising in construction law and contract law.

Member of the European Parliament

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Schreinemacher was elected to the European Parliament in the 2019 European Parliament election, as Member of the European Parliament for the Netherlands.

A member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, Schreinemacher was also part of the Renew Europe parliamentary group. She was a member of the Committee on International Trade (INTA) and the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI). She was also a substitute on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection.

In addition to her committee assignments, Schreinemacher was part of the parliament's delegation for relations with the United States (D-US) and a substitute member of the delegation on Relations with Japan (D-JP). From 2021, she was a member of the Parliament's delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Assembly, which provides parliamentary oversight over the implementation of the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.[2] She was also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Artificial Intelligence and Digital,[3] the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights[4] and the European Internet Forum.[5]

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation

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Schreinemacher served as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the fourth Rutte cabinet that was sworn in on 10 January 2022. The VVD had won a plurality of the votes in the March 2021 general election.[6][7] In 2023, Schreinemacher became the first Dutch minister in history to take a maternity leave. Geoffrey van Leeuwen temporarily replaced her starting 4 December, and the first child of Schreinemacher and her partner Karsten Meijer, a boy named Titiaan, was born in early January 2024.[8][9][10] Schreinemacher returned as minister on 15 April 2024.[11]

In February 2024, the court of appeal of The Hague ruled that deliveries to Israel of F-35 fighter jet spare parts had been illegitimate. It argued that Schreinemacher had made an incorrect decision by allowing the supplies, as the risk was present that Israel was committing war crimes in its war against Hamas. Van Leeuwen announced the government would appeal the decision.[12] Schreinemacher's term as minister came to an end on 2 July 2024, when the Schoof cabinet was sworn in.[13]

Other activities

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Political positions

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In parliament, Schreinemacher lobbied hard for creating a two-way street regarding trade with China, saying, “Chinese companies should no longer be allowed to sell us things like buses as long as European companies don't stand a chance on the Chinese market.”[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Home | Liesje SCHREINEMACHER | MEPs | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. 13 May 1983.
  2. ^ Hans von der Burchard and Maïa de La Baume (5 October 2021), European Parliament approves new joint EU-UK Brexit assembly Politico Europe.
  3. ^ Intergroup on Artificial Intelligence and Digital European Parliament.
  4. ^ Members European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights.
  5. ^ Members European Internet Forum.
  6. ^ "Kabinet-Rutte IV beëdigd" [Fourth Rutte cabinet sworn in]. Government of the Netherlands (Press release) (in Dutch). 10 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Definitieve uitslag verkiezingen: VVD 34 zetels, D66 24 en vier nieuwe partijen" [Final election results: 34 seats for VVD, 24 for D66, and four new parties]. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 26 March 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Geoffrey van Leeuwen to become Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation". Government of the Netherlands (Press release). 30 November 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Voor het eerst Nederlandse minister in verwachting en met zwangerschapsverlof" [For the first time a Dutch minister will be pregnant and on maternity leave]. Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 14 August 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Minister Schreinemacher bevallen van zoon Titiaan" [Minister Schreinemacher has given birth to son Titiaan]. Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 5 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Liesje Schreinemacher keert terug als minister voor Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerking" [Liesje Schreinemacher returns as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation]. Government of the Netherlands (Press release) (in Dutch). 15 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  12. ^ Derix, Steven (12 February 2024). "Nederland kan niet meer de trouwe wapenleverancier van Israël zijn" [The Netherlands can no longer be Israel's loyal supplier of weaponry]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Ministers en staatssecretarissen kabinet-Schoof beëdigd" [Ministers and state secretaries of Schoof cabinet sworn in]. NOS (in Dutch). 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  14. ^ Board of Governors Asian Development Bank (ADB)
  15. ^ Board of Governors European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
  16. ^ Board of Governors Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
  17. ^ Members Joint World Bank-IMF Development Committee.
  18. ^ Lukas Kotkamp (3 January 2022), 8 things to know about the incoming Dutch government Politico Europe.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Foreign Affairs
Acting

2023
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
2022–2023
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Geoffrey van Leeuwen
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
2024
Succeeded by