Aukje de Vries

de Vries, VVD, including logo on the bottom left.

Summary

Aukje de Vries is born in Leeuwarden on 21 October 1964 and lives in Leeuwarden. She is in total 3483 days active in the House of Representatives.

Social media links

Biography

“Words, not deeds”

How I became interested in politics? It was a very gradual process, to be sure. As a student and in my jobs with various municipalities, I discovered how fundamentally political decisions affect people’s lives. In 2002, I became a councillor (and later group chair) for the VVD in Leeuwarden, where I was born and raised. In March 2011, I was elected to the Provincial Council of Friesland, where I was made group chair in April 2012. On top of that, I was also department manager of policy development and projects at the municipality of Boarnsterhim from 2008.

Travel and freedom

During my student days, I developed a passion for travel. The many trips I was able to take taught me the importance of freedom, which made the VVD an obvious choice for me. You have to grab hold of freedom with both hands, day in, day out. The government should not impose unnecessary rules on people, nor should it make choices on their behalf. Even though I believe that everyone should have the chance to live their life to the fullest, that certainly does not mean I believe in happy-go-lucky freedom: with freedom comes responsibility.

Connecting with rural areas

Politicians should be expected to know what people are up against. That’s why I travel around the country whenever I can to talk with as many people as possible. After all, many of the decisions we make in The Hague have a direct effect on people’s lives. It’s essential to stay in touch with real people and to explore how policy has worked out in practice. As a representative from Fryslân, I am also actively committed to connecting with rural areas, bringing The Hague to Fryslân and Fryslân to The Hague.

Education

  • Pre-university education, Leeuwarden
  • Social Geography (direction Economic geography), University Groningen

Career

  • Member of Provincial States VVD Fryslân 2011-2012
  • Unit manager policy development and projects, municipality of Boarnsterhim 2008-2012
  • Team leader policy development, municipality of Den Helder 2004-2007
  • Member of city council, VVD Leeuwarden 2002-2011
  • Senior project manager, Aeriom/Groustins 202004
  • Senior advisor governance and management, municipality of Leeuwarden 1998-2001
  • Senior policy officer economic affairs, municipality of Leeuwarden 1996-1998
  • Policy officer economic affairs, municipality of Leeuwarden 1989-1996