It is recess and The Hague Affairs is not here for a while. In the meantime, we’ll tip you episodes that are worth listening to. This week Iris Verhulsdonk, audio editor at Haagse Zaken, tips the episode ‘Haagsezaken in the summer: this is how international top positions are distributed.’
In this fifth summer episode of The Hague Affairs, we zoom in on international top positions. You will hear from Michel Kerres, geopolitics editor, about the positions at the UN, EU and NATO. About visible top jobs such as those of Queen Máxima (UN), Diederik Samsom and Frans Timmermans (both European Commission). And about less visible – but no less influential – positions. We discuss what happens behind the scenes when there are vacancies for top positions, what the Netherlands does to get important posts and why it is important to keep denying until you are appointed.
Read here the reconstruction that Michel made with four NRC colleagues of Lubbers’ failed attempt to become Secretary General of NATO.
Read here the reconstruction that Philip de Witt Wijnen and Annemarie Kas made of how Dijsselbloem was re-elected as president of the Eurogroup.
Read here Marike Stellinga’s interview with Dijsselbloem about his time as president of the Eurogroup.
Read here Stéphane Alonso’s article about the (failed) lobby in The Hague for Dijsselbloem as director of the IMF.
- Presentation:
- Lamyae Aharouay
- Guest:
- Michael Kerres
- Editorial & production:
- Ignace Schoot and Iris Verhulsdonk
- Edit:
- Iris Verhulsdonk
- Photo:
- John Minchillo/EPA