Michiel van Hulten facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michiel Frans van Hulten
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| Born | February 18, 1969 |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics and Political Science, College of Europe |
| Occupation | Director of Transparency International EU, Former Politician |
| Known for | Member of the European Parliament, Former Chairman of the Labour Party |
Michiel Frans van Hulten (born February 18, 1969) is a Dutch expert who works as an analyst, writer, teacher, and consultant. He used to be a politician and was a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004. He also led the Labour Party in the Netherlands for a while. More recently, he was the director of Transparency International EU, an organization that fights against corruption.
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Michiel van Hulten's Early Life and Education
Michiel van Hulten was born in 1969. His parents were also involved in politics. His father, Michel van Hulten, was a Member of Parliament. His mother, Els van Hulten-Delfgaauw, was a local politician.
Michiel spent much of his childhood living in different countries. Besides the Netherlands, he lived in Mali, Burkina Faso, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He earned his International Baccalaureate from Atlantic College in Wales.
University Studies
He studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). There, he earned degrees in Government and Public Administration. He also studied at the College of Europe in Belgium. During his university years, he joined the Dutch Labour Party and the Young Socialists.
Michiel van Hulten's Political Journey
Michiel van Hulten started his career in 1993. He worked as a policy officer for a Dutch trade union. Later, he became a political advisor to the Minister of Education and Science. He also worked for the EU Council of Ministers, focusing on trade and EU expansion.
Becoming a Member of European Parliament
In 1997, Van Hulten helped with Tony Blair's election campaign in the UK. In 1998, he worked for the Labour Party in the Netherlands. He was a speechwriter for the party leader, Wim Kok.
In 1999, Michiel van Hulten was elected to the European Parliament. He joined the Committee on Budgetary Control. This group works to stop fraud and mistakes in the EU's money.
Campaigning for Parliament Reform
He and other members started the Campaign for Parliament Reform. They wanted to stop the European Parliament from moving between Brussels and Strasbourg every month. They also pushed for more clear rules on how members spent their money. In 2002, a newspaper called European Voice named him one of the Europeans of the Year.
Leading the Labour Party
Van Hulten decided not to run for re-election in 2004. He then joined Policy Network, a think-tank in London. In 2005, he ran for chairman of the Labour Party and won.
As chairman, he led the Labour Party's campaigns for local elections in 2006. He also led the national parliamentary elections that year. After some disagreements with other board members, he resigned in April 2007.
After His Time in Politics
After leaving electoral politics, Michiel van Hulten continued to work on important issues. From 2007 to 2012, he was a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Working for Transparency and Democracy
Since 2010, Van Hulten has been an independent consultant. He focuses on making the European Union more democratic and open. In 2011, he started his own consulting firm, Place Lux, which helps non-profit groups.
He also taught about the European Parliament as a guest lecturer. From 2011 to 2014, he was managing director of VoteWatch Europe. This organization tracks how members of the European Parliament vote.
Fighting Corruption
From 2019 to 2023, Michiel van Hulten was the Director of Transparency International EU. This organization works globally to fight against corruption. He also served on the board of Defend Democracy, an organization that protects democracy.
In 2023, he took a break to study investigative journalism. He left Transparency International EU in July 2024. Now, he works as an analyst, writer, teacher, and consultant. He also joined the board of Lie Detectors, an organization that teaches about media literacy.
From 2017 to 2020, Van Hulten was named one of the top EU influencers on Twitter.
