Dick Schoof facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Dick Schoof
Schoof in 2025
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Demissionary
Assumed office 2 July 2024
Monarch	Willem-Alexander
Deputy	See list Fleur Agema (2024–2025) Sophie Hermans Eddy van Hijum Mona Keijzer
Preceded by	Mark Rutte
Government offices Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice and Security In office 1 March 2020 – 28 May 2024 Prime Minister Mark Rutte Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus Dilan Yeşilgöz Preceded by Siebe Riedstra [nl] Succeeded by Anneke van Dijk Director-General of the General Intelligence and Security Service In office 16 November 2018 – 1 March 2020 Prime Minister Mark Rutte Minister Kajsa Ollongren Raymond Knops (acting) Preceded by Rob Bertholee Succeeded by Erik Akerboom [nl] National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism In office 1 March 2013 – 16 November 2018 Prime Minister Mark Rutte Minister Ivo Opstelten Stef Blok (acting) Ard van der Steur Stef Blok Ferdinand Grapperhaus Preceded by Erik Akerboom Succeeded by Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg [nl] Chief Director of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service In office 1 December 1999 – 1 March 2003 Prime Minister Wim Kok Jan Peter Balkenende Minister Job Cohen Ella Kalsbeek Hilbrand Nawijn Preceded by J. G. Bos Succeeded by P. W. A. Veld
Personal details
Born	Hendrikus Wilhelmus Maria Schoof (1957-03-08) 8 March 1957 (age 68) Santpoort, Netherlands
Political party	Independent (2021–present)
Other political affiliations	Labour Party (until 2021)
Spouse	Yolanda Senf ​ (divorced)​
Domestic partner	Loes Meurs
Children	2
Residences	Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Alma mater	Radboud University (MSc)
Occupation	Civil servant Spy chief prime minister of the Netherlands
Signature

Hendrikus Wilhelmus Maria "Dick" Schoof (born 8 March 1957) is a Dutch politician and civil servant. He has been the prime minister of the Netherlands since 2 July 2024. As of July 2025, he is serving as a caretaker prime minister.

Mr. Schoof studied at Radboud University. Before becoming prime minister, he held important roles in the Dutch government. From 2020 to 2024, he was the secretary-general of the Ministry of Justice and Security. He also led the General Intelligence and Security Service from 2018 to 2020. Before that, he was the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism from 2013 to 2018.

Mr. Schoof is an independent politician, meaning he does not belong to a specific political party. He led a government made up of four parties: PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB. This government was known for being more right-leaning than previous ones in the Netherlands. His time as prime minister showed his skills as a practical leader who worked well with different groups.

His time as prime minister ended when the government coalition broke apart in June 2025. King Willem-Alexander asked him to stay on as a caretaker prime minister until new elections could be held. Mr. Schoof's experience in security and international relations was clear at the NATO Summit. However, his leadership at home faced challenges because he was new to political leadership and his government was not very stable.

Early Life and Education

Hendrikus Wilhelmus Maria Schoof was born on 8 March 1957 in Santpoort, Netherlands. He grew up in a Catholic family and was the second youngest of seven children. His father worked for the local government. His older brother, Nico Schoof, was a mayor for several towns.

When he was eight, his family moved to Hengelo. He attended Lyceum De Grundel there. From 1975 to 1982, he studied city and regional planning at Radboud University. During his university years, he was part of a rowing club called Phocas and even served as its leader.

Early Career in Government

Mr. Schoof started his career helping with education policies at the Association of Netherlands Municipalities. In 1988, he became a civil servant at the Ministry of Education and Sciences. He helped manage changes in how schools were built. He also helped find solutions when different political parties disagreed on who should be responsible for school building upkeep.

From 1996, Mr. Schoof took on several important roles in security. He worked as a deputy secretary-general at the Ministry of Justice and Security.

In 1999, he became the chief director of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). At that time, many people were seeking asylum in the Netherlands, especially because of the Kosovo War. The IND had a lot of applications to process. Mr. Schoof helped put new rules in place to make the asylum process simpler. He also worked to deport people who did not meet the requirements.

In 2003, Mr. Schoof left the IND to become the director-general for public order and safety at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. In this role, he was in charge of changing the police force. He helped combine many smaller regional police groups into one large National Police Corps.

National Security Roles

Mr. Schoof meeting with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2022.

From 2010 to 2013, Mr. Schoof served as a director-general at the Ministry of Justice and Security.

In 2013, he was appointed National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV). This office works to keep the country safe from threats like terrorism. After the tragic shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014, Mr. Schoof helped coordinate the Netherlands' response. This event strengthened his working relationship with then-Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Mr. Schoof also led the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) from 2018 to 2020. This agency is responsible for gathering intelligence and protecting national security.

On 1 March 2020, Mr. Schoof became the secretary-general of the Ministry of Justice and Security. This is a very senior non-political position within the ministry. He was involved in discussions about changes to asylum rules. These discussions led to the previous government, the fourth Rutte cabinet, collapsing in July 2023. Mr. Schoof reached the usual retirement age in March 2024 but was allowed to continue working for three more years.

Prime Minister (2024–Present)

Mr. Schoof with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in 2024.

After the 2023 Dutch general election in November 2023, the Party for Freedom (PVV) won the most votes. On 16 May 2024, the PVV formed a government agreement with three other parties: the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), New Social Contract (NSC), and the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB). During these talks, the leaders of these four parties agreed that none of them would become prime minister.

Mr. Schoof was then chosen as the candidate for prime minister on 28 May 2024. He was sworn in on 2 July by King Willem-Alexander as part of the Schoof cabinet. He became the first independent politician to be prime minister since 1918. Many people saw him as someone who understood how the government worked and was good at balancing politics and civil service.

In September 2024, Mr. Schoof presented his government's plans. He mentioned the government's goal to address the asylum situation. He said that citizens felt there was an asylum crisis. After discussions, an agreement on asylum measures was reached in October 2024.

Mr. Schoof with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in 2024.

In November 2024, after some difficult events in Amsterdam, Mr. Schoof said he was "ashamed" and "horrified" by attacks on Israeli citizens. He called the situation "completely unacceptable" and promised that those responsible would be found and punished. He said these events pointed to a larger issue of integration.

On 3 June 2025, the PVV party left Mr. Schoof's government. They could not agree with their partners on changes to the country's asylum rules. This led to Mr. Schoof resigning as prime minister.

Role at the 2025 NATO Summit

Mr. Schoof with NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte, US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the 2025 The Hague NATO summit.

As the caretaker Prime Minister, Mr. Schoof hosted the 2025 The Hague NATO summit on 24–25 June. He called it a "historic" event. He played a key role in keeping the NATO countries united. He especially worked with U.S. President Donald Trump, who praised Mr. Schoof's hosting.

Mr. Schoof was present at important meetings, including one with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He announced that NATO was preparing a statement about drones and air defense for Ukraine. He was happy with the summit's results, including a new goal for countries to spend 5% of their GDP on defense by 2035. His background in international security helped him handle the important discussions at the summit.

Political Views

As a Civil Servant

In 2017, Mr. Schoof said that the Kick Out Zwarte Piet (KOZP) group "could potentially become extremist." He explained this was why they were mentioned in a security report. He noted that KOZP did not use violence. After a complaint, the group was later reclassified as an activist group.

In 2019, Mr. Schoof stated that certain religious movements were trying to influence Islamic schools in Amsterdam. In February 2020, he told a Dutch parliamentary group that a new generation of Dutch Salafi Muslims could be a long-term threat. He said they aimed for a separate society where Dutch laws might not apply. He also mentioned that some groups might appear moderate in public but preach more extreme views privately.

As a Politician

Mr. Schoof was a member of the Labour Party (PvdA) for over 30 years. He left the party in early 2021, saying he no longer agreed with their views. After the PVV won the election in November 2023, Mr. Schoof said it showed a lack of trust in the government. He felt that if so many people voted for the PVV, their concerns must be real.

When he was nominated as prime minister in May 2024, Mr. Schoof promised to follow the government's agreement. He said he would act as a non-partisan politician and not join the PVV. However, he shared concerns about immigration, asylum, social security, farmers, and international security with the parties in his government. He later said that the agreement was "normal" and he could agree to it.

Mr. Schoof pledged to be stricter on immigration. He believed that current levels of asylum and migration put pressure on society and public services. He argued that the Netherlands should be more selective about who it allows in. He suggested that the number of labor migrants could be adjusted to support the economy. He also proposed looking at asylum applications based on each person's situation.

Personal Life

Mr. Schoof lives in Zoetermeer with his partner, Loes Meurs. She is a psychologist. Mr. Schoof and his ex-wife, Yolanda Senf, have two daughters. They were adopted from China in the 1990s. Mr. Schoof was raised Catholic but now describes himself as non-practising. He stopped going to church when he was 16.

He enjoys running and has completed many marathons. He ran his first marathon in 1987 and his 18th in 2024. As prime minister, Mr. Schoof completed a half marathon in Amsterdam.

See also

In Spanish: Dick Schoof para niños