Willem "Wim" Kok (Wim Kok (help· info)) (born September 29, 1938 in Bergambacht) is a Dutch politician. He was prime minister of The Netherlands from 1994 until 2002. The prime minister of the Netherlands is the head of the cabinet, and, as such, coordinates the policy of the government. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Rudolphus Franciscus Marie Lubbers or Ruud Lubbers (born May 7, 1939) was the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, from 2001 until February 20, 2005, when he resigned because of continuous press attention about an allegation of sexual harassment. ... Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende   (born on 7 May 1956), has served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands since 22 July 2002. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bergambacht (population: 9,280 in 2004) is a village in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. ... The Labour Party (in Dutch: Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA) is a Dutch social-democratic political party. ... Image File history File links Nl-Wim_Kok. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bergambacht (population: 9,280 in 2004) is a village in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The prime minister of the Netherlands is the head of the cabinet, and, as such, coordinates the policy of the government. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Life and career

Wim Kok (legally Willem Kok) was born in Bergambacht, the Netherlands. After completing his study at the Nyenrode business school in the Netherlands, he started his career in 1961 at the socialist trade union NVV, where he was chairman from 1973 until 1982. Between 1976 and 1986 he was chair of the FNV a federation of the NVV and the catholic NKV, which he had overseen. Bergambacht (population: 9,280 in 2004) is a village in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. ... Universiteit Nyenrode is Hollands leading business school and only private university. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... A Trade Union (Labour union) ... is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... The Nederlands Verbond van Vakverenigingen (English: Dutch Association of Trade Unions, NVV) was a Dutch social-democratic trade union. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging (FNV, Federated Netherlands Labour Movement) is the largest federation of trade unions in the Netherlands. ...

In 1986 he succeeded Joop den Uyl as leader of the social democratic party PvdA (Partij van de Arbeid, Labour Party). From 1989 until 1994 he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in a cabinet with the Christian democratic CDA. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dr. Johannes Marten Joop den Uyl (August 9, 1919 - December 24, 1987) was a Dutch politician, prime minister of the Netherlands from 1973 until 1977, as a member of the socialist PvdA party. ... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ... For the Belgian political party of the same name, see Partij van de Arbeid (Belgium). ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (Dutch: Christen Democratisch Appèl) is a Dutch christian-democratic political party. ...

In 1994, he became Prime Minister in a cabinet with the liberal VVD and the progressive liberal D'66. This cabinet goes under the name of Kok I. This "Purple" coalition was the first in decades to form a government without the CDA. After the elections in 1998 he led a second government with the same partners, Kok II. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), literally Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, is a free market liberal party in the Netherlands. ... Democraten 66 (D66), is a social liberal party in the Netherlands. ... The First cabinet of Wim Kok was formed by the political parties PVDA, VVD and D66 (1994-1998). ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The second cabinet of the Netherlands to be headed by Prime Minister Wim Kok. ...

During most of Kok's time as Prime Minister, the Netherlands was booming economically and Kok was credited internationally for the Dutch "Polder Model". This same "polder model" went out of fashion early 2002, which saw the rise of Pim Fortuyn, the right-wing populist political newcomer. The polder model is the Dutch version of corporatism. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn (surname pronounced somewhat like for-TOYN, IPA: ), (February 19, 1948 – May 6, 2002), was a controversial, openly gay, charismatic politician in the Netherlands who formed his own party Lijst Pim Fortuyn (List Pim Fortuyn or LPF). ...

His cabinet fell just weeks before the May 2002 elections when Kok and all his ministers stepped down because of the discussion about the possible Dutch responsibility in the Srebrenica massacre. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Burial of 505 identified Bosniak civilians (July 11, 2006) Burial of 610 identified Bosniak civilians (July 11, 2005 The Srebrenica Massacre, also known as Srebrenica Genocide, was the July 1995 killing of an estimated 7,000-8,000 [1] Bosniak males in the region of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina...

He left Dutch politics after the election, as he had already announced the year before, but that does not mean his political life has ended. Like many whose official political careers have ended, he continues to influence politics.

He was succeeded as leader of the Partij van de Arbeid by Ad Melkert, who then lost the 2002 election. For the Belgian political party of the same name, see Partij van de Arbeid (Belgium). ... Ad Melkert (1956) is a Dutch politician and an Executive Director of the World Bank. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

At present, Wim Kok holds the following positions:

• Member of the Supervisory Board of ING Group (international financial services)
• Member of the Supervisory Board of Royal Dutch Shell (oil company)
• Member of the Supervisory Board of TNT (international postal company with Dutch origin)
• Member of the Supervisory Board of KLM (airline)
• Member of the Strategic Advisory Panel of The European Business Awards
• Special member of Supervisory Board of Stork (industrial group)

Between April and November 2004, Mr. Kok headed up a review of the Lisbon Agenda and presented a report of the Lisbon strategy containing suggestions on how to give new impetus to the Lisbon process. The Commission used this report declare that the social and environmental parts are not a priority anymore and declared a restart of the Lisbon Agenda under the economic terms only. ING Groep N.V. (NYSE: ING, Euronext: INGA) (known as ING Group) is a financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management services. ... Royal Dutch Shell PLC is a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest energy corporations in the world, and one of the six supermajors (vertically integrated private-sector oil exploration, natural gas, and petroleum product marketing companies). ... Royal TPG Post wall box TNT N.V. (Euronext: TNT, NYSE: TP) is a provider of global express delivery, logistics, and mail services. ... KLM (in full: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, literally Royal Aviation Company; usual English: Royal Dutch Airlines) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before its merger with Air France, KLM was the national airline of the Netherlands. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Genera See text. ... The Lisbon Strategy, also known as the Lisbon Agenda or Lisbon Process, is an action and development plan for the European Union. ...

The group comprised twelve figures representing different Stakeholder groups. Among these are Anne-Marie Idrac, chair of RATP, the Paris public transport system, and a former Transport Minister; Will Hutton, governor of the London School of Economics and chief executive of the Works Foundation; and Niall Fitzgerald, chair of Unilever and co-chair of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue, an Lobby organisation known to be put into live to represent US-American interests in Europe. It has been suggested that Interest representation: Academic overview be merged into this article or section. ... Métro trains entering Église dAuteuil station The Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) is the major transit authority responsible for public transportation in Paris and its environs. ... Unilever (Euronext: UNA, LSE: ULVR, NYSE: UN) is an Anglo-Dutch company that owns many of the worlds consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. ... The Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) offers a framework for cooperation between the transatlantic business community and the governments of the European Union (EU) and United States of America (US). ...

Kok now lobbies for the Lisbon Strategy of the European Commission [1] Lobbying is the practice of private advocacy with the goal of influencing a governing body, in order to ensure that an individuals or organizations point of view is represented in the government. ... The Lisbon Strategy, also known as the Lisbon Agenda or Lisbon Process, is an action and development plan for the European Union. ... The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ...

See also

• Politics of the Netherlands

The Politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy and a constitutional monarchy. ...

External links

• Another biography
• Photos of Wim Kok
• President Prodi and Mr Wim Kok announce the establishment of the High-level Group on the Lisbon Strategy