Frans Timmermans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frans Timmermans
Timmermans in 2023
Executive Vice President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal
In office 1 December 2019 – 22 August 2023
President	Ursula von der Leyen
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Maroš Šefčovič
European Commissioner for Climate Action
In office 1 December 2019 – 22 August 2023
President	Ursula von der Leyen
Preceded by	Miguel Arias Cañete
Succeeded by	Maroš Šefčovič (acting)
First Vice President of the European Commission
In office 1 November 2014 – 30 November 2019
President	Jean-Claude Juncker
Preceded by	Catherine Ashton
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 5 November 2012 – 17 October 2014
Prime Minister	Mark Rutte
Preceded by	Uri Rosenthal
Succeeded by	Bert Koenders
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
In office 22 February 2007 – 23 February 2010
Prime Minister	Jan Peter Balkenende
Preceded by	Atzo Nicolaï
Succeeded by	Ben Knapen
Member of the House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 December 2023
In office 9 June 2010 – 5 November 2012
In office 6 May 1998 – 22 February 2007
House positions Parliamentary leader of GroenLinks–PvdA Incumbent Assumed office 6 December 2023 Preceded by Jesse Klaver
Personal details
Born	Franciscus Cornelis Gerardus Maria Timmermans (1961-05-06) 6 May 1961 (age 64) Maastricht, Netherlands
Political party	Labour Party (1990–present) GroenLinks–PvdA (2023–present)
Other political affiliations	Democrats 66 (1985) Party of European Socialists
Spouse	Irene Timmermans ​ (m. 2000)​
Children	4
Education	Radboud University (BA, MA) Nancy 2 University (LLM, MA)

Frans Timmermans (born 6 May 1961) is a Dutch politician. He has held important roles in both the Netherlands and the European Union. From 2019 to 2023, he was a top leader in the European Commission. He was in charge of the European Green Deal, which aims to make Europe climate-neutral.

Before that, he was the First Vice-President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019. He also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Netherlands from 2012 to 2014. Currently, he is a leader in the Dutch Parliament for the GroenLinks–PvdA alliance.

Frans Timmermans' Early Life and Schooling

Frans Timmermans was born in Maastricht, Netherlands, on 6 May 1961. His family was Roman Catholic. He went to elementary school in Belgium. Later, he attended an English school in Rome, Italy, from 1972 to 1975.

After that, he went to a school called Bernardinuscollege in Heerlen, Netherlands. He finished there in 1980.

In 1980, Timmermans started studying at Radboud University Nijmegen. He earned a master's degree in French Literature in 1985. He also studied European law, French Literature, and History in France, getting more degrees in 1985.

He served in the Royal Netherlands Army for a short time in 1986. He worked as a Russian interrogator for military intelligence.

Frans Timmermans is very good with languages. Besides his native Dutch, he speaks English, French, German, Italian, and Russian.

Timmermans with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Russian President Vladimir Putin, 6 March 2013

Frans Timmermans' Diplomatic Work

After his military service, Timmermans joined the Dutch government's foreign affairs department in 1987. He worked in The Hague. In 1990, he became a diplomat at the Dutch Embassy in Moscow, Russia.

He returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993. He worked on European development. In 1994, he became an assistant to a European Commissioner. A year later, he became a senior advisor for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Frans Timmermans' Political Career

Member of the Dutch Parliament (1998–2007)

In 1998, Frans Timmermans was elected as a member of the House of Representatives for the Labour Party. He started his work in Parliament on 19 May 1998.

He was involved in foreign affairs and economic matters. He also represented the Dutch Parliament in discussions about the future of Europe from 2002 to 2003. He was re-elected in 2002 and 2003.

State Secretary for Foreign Affairs (2007–2010)

In 2007, Timmermans became the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs. In this role, he helped coordinate Dutch policy towards the European Union. He was also known as the Minister of European Affairs during international visits.

A main goal for him was to get more support for European cooperation. He wanted citizens to have more say in European policies. He also worked to improve how people saw the European Union.

During his time, the Treaty of Lisbon was signed. He worked with the Prime Minister to make sure national parliaments had a bigger role in EU decisions. In 2010, his party left the government over a disagreement about military involvement in Afghanistan.

Return to Parliament (2010–2012)

After his party left the government, Timmermans returned to the House of Representatives in 2010. He became the Labour Party's spokesperson for foreign affairs and European affairs.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2012–2014)

Timmermans with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit

Timmermans with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, 7 January 2016

In 2012, Frans Timmermans was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. He took office on 5 November 2012.

In March 2014, the Netherlands hosted the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit. Timmermans was in charge of welcoming all the leaders who attended.

A very important moment in his career was on 17 July 2014. A passenger plane, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, was shot down over Ukraine. Many Dutch citizens died. The next day, Timmermans flew to Kyiv to discuss the event. On 21 July 2014, he gave a powerful speech at the United Nations Security Council in New York. He asked for help to bring the victims home and to find those responsible.

He also called for an independent investigation into actions during the 2014 conflict in Gaza. He spoke about the close ties between Israel and Europe. He believed Europe should help keep Israel safe. But he also said Israel must give Palestinians full rights.

Frans Timmermans and the European Commission

Working with Jean-Claude Juncker (2014–2019)

In September 2014, the Dutch government nominated Frans Timmermans to join the European Commission. He became the First Vice-President in the Juncker Commission on 1 November 2014. He was a key helper to President Juncker. His job included improving laws, managing relations between EU institutions, and upholding the rule of law and human rights.

In 2016, Timmermans noted that Turkey was making good progress on meeting requirements for easier travel to the EU. He also often spoke about Poland's justice system. He said that new laws there could harm the rule of law.

Timmermans supported the idea of sharing asylum seekers among EU countries. He said that people seeking safety deserve help when they flee violence.

Running for President of the European Commission

In 2018, Frans Timmermans announced he wanted to become the President of the European Commission. He was chosen as the candidate for the Party of European Socialists (PES). He aimed to create a left-leaning group in the European Parliament.

His party came in second place in the 2019 European election. Even though he was a strong candidate, the European Council chose Ursula von der Leyen as a compromise. This was because some countries did not agree with Timmermans' strong stance on the rule of law. However, von der Leyen promised that Timmermans would become a Vice-President in her new Commission.

Working with Ursula von der Leyen (2019–2023)

Timmermans delivering a speech about the Green Deal at the European Investment Bank Headquarters.

In 2019, President Ursula von der Leyen asked Frans Timmermans to continue as a Vice-President. She also made him one of three new Executive Vice-Presidents. In this important role, Timmermans was responsible for the European Green Deal. This plan aims to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. He was also tasked with creating a European Climate Law.

In 2021, Timmermans spoke with environmental activist Greta Thunberg. He confirmed the Commission's commitment to making farming policies support the Green Deal.

In October 2021, during an energy crisis, Timmermans suggested the best solution was to use less fossil fuels. He said those blaming the Green Deal were doing so for other reasons. He noted that a small part of the energy price increase was due to carbon prices.

Timmermans with Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang in Beijing, 4 July 2023

In July 2023, Timmermans led the European delegation for talks with China. Both sides agreed to keep working together to stop climate change, protect nature, and reduce pollution. They also agreed to support a Circular economy, which means reusing and recycling materials.

Return to Dutch Politics (since 2023)

In July 2023, a new election was called in the Netherlands. The Labour Party and GroenLinks decided to join forces. Timmermans announced he wanted to lead this new alliance. He aimed to become the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

On 22 August 2023, he was confirmed as the lead candidate. He then resigned from his role in the European Commission.

The election was held on 22 November 2023. His alliance, GL–PvdA, finished in second place. Timmermans has stated that he will not work with parties that blame asylum seekers for problems. He was sworn into the House of Representatives on 6 December. He now serves as the leader of the GL–PvdA group in Parliament.

Frans Timmermans' Personal Life

Frans Timmermans has been married twice and has four children. He has two children from his first marriage and two from his second marriage to Irene Timmermans in 2000. After leaving Brussels in 2023, he moved back to his hometown of Maastricht.

In 2021, Time magazine included him in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Politico Europe also named him one of the 28 most influential people in Europe.

Honours and Awards

Frans Timmermans has received many honours and awards from different countries:

• Commander of the Order For Merit (Romania, 2006)
• Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (Poland, 2006)
• Knight of the Legion of Honour (France, 2007)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross (Brazil, 2008)
• 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (Estonia, 2008)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (Lithuania, 2008)
• Commander of the Order of the Polar Star (Sweden, 2009)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Chile, 2009)
• Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands, 2010)
• Golden Palm Decoration of Honour (Bulgaria, 2018)

He has also received honorary doctorates from several universities:

• Maastricht University (2015)
• National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (Romania, 2019)
• University of Salamanca (Spain, 2021)
• Delft University of Technology (2022) for his work on climate issues.

Electoral History

Frans Timmermans has been elected to the Dutch House of Representatives many times and to the European Parliament once.

See also

In Spanish: Frans Timmermans para niños

• Climate change mitigation