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Tom Berendsen

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Tom Berendsen
Official portrait, 2024
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
23 February 2026
Prime MinisterRob Jetten
Preceded byDavid van Weel
Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal in the European Parliament
In office
16 July 2024 – 22 February 2026
Preceded byJeroen Lenaers
Member of the European Parliament
In office
2 July 2019 – 22 February 2026
Succeeded byWillemien Koning-Hoeve
ConstituencyNetherlands
Personal details
BornTom Berend Willem Berendsen
(1983-04-11) 11 April 1983 (age 43)
Breda, Netherlands
PartyChristian Democratic Appeal
Alma materTilburg University

Tom Berend Willem Berendsen (born 11 April 1983) is a Dutch politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Jetten cabinet since 2026. From 2019 until his appointment to the government he served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).[1] He is a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).

Education and early career

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Berendsen studied public administration at Tilburg University, as well as at the Catholic University of Leuven as part of an Erasmus exchange.

Following his studies, Berendsen moved to Brussels where he became an intern at the lobbying office for North Brabant. From 2009 until 2015, he worked for the CDA delegation at the European Parliament. He later worked as a sustainability consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in the Netherlands.

Political career

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Berendsen took office as a Member of the European Parliament following the 2019 election. In the European Parliament, he has since served on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Regional Development. In addition to his committee assignments, he is part of the European Parliament's delegation for relations to the Pan-African Parliament.[1] He is also a member of the URBAN Intergroup.[2] He ran for re-election in June 2024 as the CDA's lead candidate. As part of the campaign, Berendsen stressed the importance of the European defense industry during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and he advocated for an environmentally-friendly industrial policy.[3] The CDA secured three seats in the European Parliament, and Berendsen received a second term.[4] He has subsequently served as his party's parliamentary leader.[5]

Personal life

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Berendsen was born in Breda,[6] and he has a wife. He is a supporter of football club NAC Breda.[7]

Electoral history

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Electoral history of Tom Berendsen
Year Body Party Pos. Votes Result Ref.
Party seats Individual
2024 European Parliament Christian Democratic Appeal 1 366,454 3 Won [4]
2026 Breda Municipal Council 39[a] 68 6 Lost [8]

Honours

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Berendsen participated as lijstduwer.

References

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  1. 1 2 His MEP profile, European Parliament
  2. ↑ Members, URBAN Intergroup
  3. ↑ Berendsen, Tom (31 May 2024). "CDA-lijsttrekker Tom Berendsen: 'We zijn kritisch, maar hebben een positief verhaal over Europa'" [CDA lead candidate Tom Berendsen: 'We are critical, but we have a positive story about Europe']. Trouw (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Esther Lammers. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Proces-verbaal centraal stembureau uitslag verkiezing Europees Parlement Model P22-1" [Central electoral council report of the results of the election of the European Parliament Model P22-1] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 19 June 2024. pp. 15–16, 39. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  5. ↑ "Europees Parlement" [European Parliament]. Christian Democratic Appeal (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  6. ↑ "Tom BERENDSEN". European Parliament. 11 April 1983. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Bouwman, Boris; Hosman, Hanna (4 June 2024). "Stemmen voor Europa? De lijsttrekkers krijgen de kiezer niet snel enthousiast" [Voting for Europe? The lead candidates fail to easily inspire voters]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  8. ↑ Central electoral committee of Breda (26 March 2026). De verkiezing van de leden van de gemeenteraad, 18 maart 2026: Verslag, uitslag en zetelverdeling [The election of the members of the municipal council, 18 March 2026: Report, results and seat allocation]. Breda (Official report, model P 22-2) (in Dutch). pp. 22–24, 45. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "令和８年外国人叙勲 : 日本の勲章・褒章 - 内閣府" ["2026 Decorations for Foreign Nationals: Japanese Orders and Medals – Cabinet Office"]. Cabinet Office of Japan website (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 June 2026.
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