Bert de Vries

Berend "Bert" de Vries (born March 29, 1938) is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from November 21, 1978 until November 7, 1989. After the Dutch general election of 1982 the Christian Democratic Appeal lost 3 seats and incumbent Prime Minister Dries van Agt unexpectedly announced that he was stepping down. After a short cabinet formation a new cabinet was formed; De Vries became the new Parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal in the House of Representatives on November 4, 1982 after Ruud Lubbers became Prime Minister. He served as Parliamentary leader until November 7, 1989; with a short brake from May 22, 1986 until July 15, 1986 following the Dutch general election of 1986 when Lubbers temporarily resumed the function for the cabinet formation which formed the Cabinet Lubbers II. After the Dutch general election of 1989 De Vries became Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the Cabinet Lubbers III on November 7, 1989 and served until August 22, 1994. He served as acting Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries from September 19, 1990 until September 27, 1990 after the resignation of Gerrit Braks. He later served as Party Chair of the Christian Democratic Appeal from October 10, 2001 until November 2, 2002 after the resignation of Marnix van Rij.

Biography

Early life

Berend de Vries was born in Groningen. His father had a detective agency. As a student, he was employed to assist in observation work, for collecting evidence of adultery. After the Mulo he was an official of the IRS. In the evening he attended the HBS. As a working student, he attended the study economics at the University of Groningen and he received a Master of Economics degree. Through the work at Groningen, he joined Philips, where he worked in the finance department. Thereafter (from 1968 to 1978) he worked at the Erasmus University. At the same time he received his PhD in Economic Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit.

Politics

In 1978 he was elected as a member of the Anti Revolutionary Party as a Member of the House of Representatives. In 1982 he became leader of the CDA. He ruled the fraction with an iron fist and did not allow dissidents. Group Members Jan Nico Scholten and Stef Dijkman had to leave in 1983. As minister he steered the Arbeidsvoorzieningswet and Jeugdwerkgarantiewet by the First and Second Chamber. He was also the architect of the so-called Bami agreement on adaptation of the WAO. The name Bami agreement refers to the fact that during the consultations in the home of Bert de Vries, a meal of Chinese take-away food was consumed. With this agreement, the fall of the third Lubbers cabinet prevented.

After his departure from active politics until 1998 he was part-time professor of financial and economic policy at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Bert de Vries in 2001 after the forced resignation of Marnix van Rij over a year as chairman of the Christian Democratic Appeal.

Decorations

• Order of the Netherlands Lion
  • Knight (October 8, 1994)

External links

• (Dutch) Dr. B. (Bert) de Vries (Parlement & Politiek)

Party political offices
Preceded by Marnix van Rij	Party Chair Christian Democratic Appeal 2001-2002	Succeeded by Marja van Bijsterveldt
Preceded by Ruud Lubbers	Parliamentary leader - Christian Democratic Appeal House of Representatives 1982-1986	Succeeded by Ruud Lubbers
Preceded by Ruud Lubbers	Parliamentary leader - Christian Democratic Appeal House of Representatives 1986-1989	Succeeded by Elco Brinkman
Government offices
Preceded by Jan de Koning	Minister of Social Affairs and Employment 1989-1994	Succeeded by Ad Melkert
Preceded by Gerrit Braks	Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries 1990	Succeeded by Piet Bukman
Civic offices
Preceded by Unknown	President of the Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP 1997-2001	Succeeded by Elco Brinkman