Wim Meulenkamp

Biography

“Listen before you jump to conclusions”

It is very important to truly listen to others before jumping to conclusions. As alderman of the Hof van Twente municipality, I learned that there are several sides to every story, but that, and the end of the day, you should do what is best for society as a whole. I think it is very important for politicians to trust that people are inherently good.

Tailored approaches

I come from the region of Twente, where I was an alderman for nine years. You cannot treat Twente the same way as the Randstad, East Groningen, and West Friesland: I am a proponent of tailored regional approaches to help locals as effectively as possible. Ultimately, I am in politics to improve people’s lives. Policy should not be made for its own sake, it should help make the Netherlands a better place.

Agriculture

I have been especially interested in agriculture for years. Dutch agriculture is world-leading and if it were up to me, we would stress the significant contribution Dutch agriculture makes and can make to prosperity in the Netherlands, Europe, and the rest of the world.

Leisure

One of my main hobbies is playing football. I still play in a team full of men younger than me every week, so you will often find me hobbling around on Mondays.