Talk politics with former Dutch Prime Minister

News article | April 18, 2012

Former Prime Minister of The Netherlands Jan Peter Balkenende will give a Master Class in International Politics during a lunch session on Thursday May 10 in Washington D.C, organized by the Royal Netherlands Embassy and The Netherland America Foundation (NAF).

For students only

Mr. Balkenende is a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal and was Prime Minister for eight years, between 2002 and 2010. Currently mr. Balkenende is partner at Ernst & Young. In this capacity he is responsible for international affairs, corporate responsibility and advisory activities on public-private issues. He is also Professor in Governance, Institutions and Internationalisation at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam.

During this Master Class students will get personal and behind-the-scenes insights from a former head of government, who acquired an extraordinary amount of international experience representing the Netherlands on the international stage (G20, EU) during critical political and economic times. The Netherlands is the 16th largest economy of the world and a founding member of many international institutions like the EU, NATO, OECD and WTO. Political and economic ties between The Netherlands and the U.S. are strong, making the country the first destination of U.S. foreign direct investments and the third largest investor in the U.S.

How do I qualify?

If you are a student and interested in learning first hand from an insider in international politics, please send an e-mail containing your personal information (full name, age, university, major).

Include a short letter of motivation (max 1 page) in which you elaborate two questions that you would like to ask mr. Balkenende during the lunch session.

Send your application to was-ea@minbuza.nl before May 1, 2012 stating 'Master Class' in the subject line.

Availability is limited: a committee of the Royal Netherlands Embassy and The Netherland America Foundation (NAF) will select a maximum of 20 students who will get an invitation during the week before the Master Class.