Caspar Veldkamp

Biography

"I want to put my curiosity to work for other people"

I started reading the newspaper when I was nine, because I wanted to know what was happening in the world around me. Decades later, I have lost none of my original curiosity. Politics has always fascinated me and I always wanted to be part of this world, helping to improve people’s quality of life by coming up with practical solutions. I want people to have a comfortable place to live and earn enough money to buy their groceries and pay their energy bills.

International orientation

I have a lot of international experience and have livered everywhere from Warsaw to Washington. During my career, I have been the Dutch ambassador to Greece and Israel, among other countries, and I have held management positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I am internationally oriented, so I am always exploring opportunities for the Netherlands abroad, because we can influence what happens on stage and behind the scenes. We should pay more attention to proposals for European laws and regulations – it is just a matter of good governance.

From the world to the front door

My mind is split fairly evenly between the Netherlands and the rest of the world, and I always try to find the balance between macro and micro. In other words, my goal is to put major global developments into perspective, exploring what they mean to Dutch people. On top of that, I am interested in how people here look at the world around them, which is why I engage them and listen to their concerns. Only then can you get a grip on the problems facing people and commit to the right solutions.