On December 1, 2025, after eight years, Jetta Klijnsma says goodbye as the King’s Commissioner (CDK). Candidates who would like to follow in her footsteps now know what to meet. Because the so -called ‘profile sketch’ was made public this afternoon and handed over to outgoing minister Uitermark of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.
Such a profile is a detailed description of Drenthe. The document states what Drenthe is good at and what the future challenges and opportunities are.
The most important is described in ten, very general, points. Namely: the requirements that the new commissioner must meet. They are buyers such as ‘honest, recognizable, independent, connecting and stress resistant’ where after -your’s and dedication to Drenthe is a core value.
It is striking that the profile is mentioned about a ‘she’. Perhaps it is a disguised wish, since there are few female commissioners. Until now, Jetta Klijnsma and Ina Adema of Noord-Brabant have been the exception.
For Richard Delger, director of the Thorbecke Academy, gender or origin does not play a role in the appointment for the new CDK. “As long as it’s a good one.” The Thorbecke Academy is a HBO institute for law, public administration and safety.
“It must be someone who is not going to hang on the grant in The Hague, but the financial support from The Hague uses to boost the northern cooperation. I now see too often that Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe operate independently of each other, but then we don’t hit a dent in a pack of butter. Let the king’s new commissioner be deployed,” is his wish. According to Delger, even more should be looked at the collaboration with Germany. “There is still a world to be won there.”
A King’s Commissioner is the face of the province. He/she is chairman and member of the Executive Board of the Province, the Provincial Executive. The CDK is also the chairman of the representatives of the province, the Provincial States. The Commissioner ensures that the policy process of the province is going well.
But the Commissioner is also expected to encourage cooperation between organizations and institutions.
Another task is that the Commissioner stands up for the interests of Drenthe and its inhabitants. The CDK does this in The Hague and Brussels, among others. As ambassador to the province, he/she represents Drenthe at official moments.
Klijnsma is also chairman of the provincial directing table asylum. That position also comes on the sign of the new commissioner.
Prior to the disclosure of the requirements package, the province asked its own residents that ‘the new’ must meet.
Almost 3,400 responses came in. High on the list is the desire that the commissioner feels connected to Drenthe. Almost 80% of the requested would like to see the commissioner know what is going on social and political and know what opportunities there are for the province. 70% also think that the commissioner should be a good representative of the Drenthe interests outside the province, such as The Hague and Brussels. Finally, some of the inhabitants express the explicit preference for a female commissioner.
From tomorrow, Wednesday 8 July, candidates can report and the application procedure will start.