Dick Schoof

Dick Schoof
Born	Hendrikus Wilhelmus Maria Schoof 8 3, 1957
Birthplace	Santpoort, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Occupation	Civil servant, politician
Known for	Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2024–2026)
Children	2

Hendrikus Wilhelmus Maria "Dick" Schoof (born 8 March 1957) is a Dutch civil servant and politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from July 2024 to February 2026. A career bureaucrat with decades of experience in the Dutch security and justice apparatus, Schoof was an unusual choice for the premiership — a politically unaffiliated technocrat who had never held elected office, selected to lead a coalition government formed by four parties whose leaders had each declined to serve as prime minister themselves. His appointment came after Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV), which had won the most seats in the 2023 general election, relinquished his claim to the premiership in order to secure coalition partners. Schoof led what was described as the most right-wing coalition government in recent Dutch history, comprising the PVV, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), New Social Contract (NSC), and Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB). The coalition collapsed in June 2025, after which Schoof continued to serve as caretaker prime minister until he was succeeded by Rob Jetten on 23 February 2026.

Early Life

Dick Schoof was born on 8 March 1957 in Santpoort, a village in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. He was born into a Catholic family, a background that would later be noted by Dutch media when he emerged as a candidate for prime minister. Though born in North Holland, Schoof had roots in Hengelo, a city in the eastern province of Overijssel, a connection that was highlighted by regional media when he was nominated for the premiership.

Schoof settled in Zoetermeer, a city in the province of South Holland, where he became known locally as an avid runner. Media coverage of his personal life highlighted his habit of jogging through the streets of Zoetermeer, a routine that neighbours described as unsurprising for a man known for his disciplined approach to both work and daily life.

Education

Schoof studied at Radboud University in Nijmegen, where he obtained a Master of Science degree. The university, one of the Netherlands' prominent research institutions, provided Schoof with an academic foundation that preceded his lengthy career in the Dutch civil service.

Career

Early Civil Service Career

Schoof's career in public administration began well before his prominent national security roles. From 1 December 1999 to 1 March 2003, he served as Chief Director of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), the agency responsible for implementing the Netherlands' immigration policies. His tenure at the IND placed him at the intersection of immigration policy and government administration during a period of considerable political debate over the Netherlands' approach to asylum and immigration.

During his time as a member of the Labour Party (PvdA), Schoof was associated with the social-democratic tradition in Dutch politics. He maintained his Labour membership until 2021, when he left the party and became politically unaffiliated.

Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations

From 2003 to 2010, Schoof served as Director-General for Public Order and Safety at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing policy related to public safety, crisis management, and emergency services across the Netherlands. This seven-year period established Schoof as a senior figure in the Dutch security bureaucracy and positioned him for subsequent roles at the nexus of national security and justice.

Ministry of Justice and Security

In 2010, Schoof transitioned to the Ministry of Justice and Security, where he served as Director-General until 2013. His responsibilities at the ministry encompassed a broad portfolio of justice and security policy, further deepening his expertise in the administrative machinery of the Dutch state.

National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism

From 1 March 2013 to 16 November 2018, Schoof held the position of National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), succeeding Erik Akerboom in the role. As NCTV, Schoof was the Netherlands' principal official responsible for coordinating counterterrorism policy, cybersecurity, and national crisis management. The role earned him the informal designation "Mister Security" in Dutch media.

His tenure as NCTV coincided with a period of heightened security concerns across Europe, including the threat posed by returning foreign fighters from the conflict zones in Syria and Iraq. The NCTV under Schoof was responsible for setting the national threat level and coordinating the government's response to potential terrorist incidents. However, his time leading the organisation was not without controversy. Dutch media investigations later raised questions about the scope of the NCTV's activities and whether the organisation had exceeded its legal mandate in certain areas. Members of the House of Representatives demanded clarification following revelations about Schoof's conduct during his time at the NCTV. A detailed investigation by De Groene Amsterdammer examined the operations of the NCTV during Schoof's leadership, questioning whether the service had overstepped its authority.

Director-General of the AIVD

On 16 November 2018, Schoof was appointed Director-General of the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), the Netherlands' domestic intelligence agency, succeeding Rob Bertholee. As head of the AIVD, Schoof was responsible for overseeing intelligence operations related to national security threats, including espionage, terrorism, and extremism.

Schoof served in this capacity until 1 March 2020, when he departed the AIVD to take up a new position at the Ministry of Justice and Security. His departure from the intelligence service was reported by multiple Dutch news outlets, with NRC Handelsblad noting that the move was part of a broader administrative reorganisation.

Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice and Security

On 1 March 2020, Schoof was appointed Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice and Security, the highest-ranking civil servant within the ministry. As Secretary-General, Schoof was responsible for the overall management and administration of the ministry, serving under Prime Minister Mark Rutte. He held this position until 28 May 2024, when he stepped down in the context of his nomination as prime minister.

During his time as Secretary-General, Schoof was involved in navigating the ministry through a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic's implications for justice and security policy, as well as ongoing debates over immigration enforcement and asylum policy in the Netherlands.

Prime Minister of the Netherlands

Appointment

Following the November 2023 Dutch general election, in which the PVV of Geert Wilders emerged as the largest party, coalition negotiations proved protracted. Wilders ultimately relinquished his own candidacy for prime minister, and the four coalition parties — PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB — agreed that none of their leaders would serve as head of government. Schoof, a career civil servant with no party affiliation since 2021, emerged as the consensus candidate for the premiership.

His selection was met with considerable public and media attention. Dutch media profiled him extensively, with Het Parool noting that with Schoof, the Netherlands was getting a prime minister who, in certain respects, resembled his predecessor Mark Rutte in style and temperament. The newspaper also cited various nicknames that had been attributed to Schoof within the civil service, including "Dick Donder" and "lachende moordenaar" (laughing assassin), references to his reputation for being both affable and decisive in bureaucratic settings. BNR Nieuwsradio provided extensive analysis of his background and qualifications for the role. Euronews examined the reasons behind Wilders' decision to appoint Schoof, noting his status as a non-partisan technocrat who could serve as a bridge figure among the coalition parties.

The Schoof Cabinet

Schoof took office on 2 July 2024, succeeding Mark Rutte as Prime Minister under King Willem-Alexander. His cabinet was a coalition of the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB, and was notable for being described as the most right-wing government the Netherlands had seen in recent history. The coalition's policy agenda included stricter immigration controls, changes to asylum policy, and a focus on law and order — themes that reflected the priorities of the PVV as the coalition's largest party.

However, governing the coalition proved challenging. The four party leaders who had negotiated the coalition agreement were not themselves members of the cabinet, creating an unusual dynamic in which the prime minister had to manage relations with parliamentary party factions whose leaders wielded significant influence from outside the government. In an exit interview reported by NL Times, Schoof acknowledged that the political chaos stemmed in part from four party leaders who "weren't very" cooperative, and he admitted that his cabinet "was not a success."

Coalition Collapse and Caretaker Period

The coalition government collapsed in June 2025. Following the fall of the cabinet, Schoof remained in office as caretaker prime minister, a role that in the Dutch constitutional system involves managing ongoing government affairs without pursuing major new policy initiatives until a new government is formed.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Schoof discussed the circumstances surrounding the coalition's collapse, as well as the Netherlands' positions on the conflict in Gaza, relations with Israel, NATO, and migration policy.

During the caretaker period, Schoof continued to represent the Netherlands internationally. In June 2025, he met with United States President Donald Trump in The Hague, with Trump publicly praising the Dutch prime minister's performance.

In February 2026, in the final days of his premiership, Schoof led a Dutch delegation to the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, India, described as the largest global summit on artificial intelligence. During the summit, he met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in areas including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and water technology. Modi noted that Dutch businesses were increasingly interested in investing in India.

Self-Assessment and Departure

In a widely reported exit interview shortly before leaving office, Schoof rated his own premiership "between a 6 and a 7" on a scale of 10, and described the role as more intense than he had expected. He acknowledged the difficulties of governing a coalition of four parties whose leaders were not in cabinet and conceded that his government had not achieved what he had hoped.

Schoof was succeeded as Prime Minister on 23 February 2026 by Rob Jetten, who became the youngest and first openly gay prime minister in Dutch history.

Personal Life

Schoof resides in Zoetermeer, South Holland, with his partner Loes Meurs. The couple have two children. He is known locally in Zoetermeer as an avid runner, a hobby that attracted media attention when he emerged as a candidate for the premiership.

Schoof was raised as a Catholic. He was a member of the Labour Party (PvdA) for much of his career but left the party in 2021, after which he was politically unaffiliated. His departure from the PvdA preceded his appointment as prime minister by several years, and his lack of party membership was a central feature of his candidacy for the role — he was selected precisely because, as a non-partisan figure, he could serve as an acceptable compromise among the four coalition parties.

Legacy

Dick Schoof's premiership represented an unusual chapter in modern Dutch political history. As a career civil servant with no elected office experience and no party affiliation at the time of his appointment, he was a departure from the typical profile of a Dutch prime minister. His selection was a direct consequence of the fragmented political landscape following the 2023 elections, in which no party leader was willing or able to secure sufficient support from coalition partners to claim the premiership for themselves.

The Schoof cabinet's brief existence — lasting approximately one year before collapsing in June 2025 — underscored the challenges of governing a coalition of four ideologically diverse parties, particularly when the coalition's architects remained outside the cabinet. Schoof himself acknowledged these difficulties in his exit interviews, describing the experience as more demanding than anticipated and conceding that the government had not been a success.

His long career in the security and justice sectors — spanning roles as head of the IND, the NCTV, the AIVD, and Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice and Security — positioned him as one of the most experienced security officials ever to assume the Dutch premiership. However, the controversies surrounding the NCTV's activities during his tenure continued to feature in discussions of his record even after he became prime minister.

Schoof's period as caretaker prime minister lasted from June 2025 until February 2026, during which he continued to represent the Netherlands on the international stage, including at meetings with world leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.