Mr Piet Hein Donner

 Minister of Employment and Social Affairs,
The Netherlands

After completing his secondary education (gymnasium-B grammar school), he studied Dutch law at the Free University of Amsterdam, graduating in 1974. In 1974/75 he conducted research at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States.

From 1976 to 1981 he worked in the Foreign Economic Relations Department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. After that he was a senior adviser at the Public Law Legislation Division of the Ministry of Justice until 1990.

From 1982 to 1984 he was seconded to the Second Chamber to serve the Committee of Inquiry into government policy on the RSV shipyard and engineering works. In 1990 he was appointed as a member of the Advisory Council on Government Policy (WRR), becoming its chairman in 1993. He was a member of the Council of State from 1998 to 2002.

Mr Donner has served, among other positions, as chairman of the Centre for European Security Studies in Groningen, chairman of the Association for the Christian care of the mentally ill (Vereniging Bennekom), member of the Advisory Council of the CNV trade union federation, chairman of the Scientific Council ASWB, member of the Foundation Board of the Catholic University Brabant (Tilburg), member of the board of trustees of STIMO (which promotes socially responsible business practice among small and medium-sized enterprises), chairman of the Christian Social Congress, chairman of the the Inter-Church Council on Government Affairs (CIO), member of the Advisory Council of the Dutch Christian Sports Union, member of the Scientific Council of the T.M.C. Asser Institute, member of the board of governors of the NCW (Dutch Christian Employers’ Organisation) and chairman of the commission investigating the occupational disability dossier.

Mr J.P.H.Donner was Minister of Justice in the first, second and third Balkenende governments from 22 July 2002 to 21 September 2006. From December 2006 until his appointment as Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the fourth Balkenende government on 22 February 2007 he was a member of the Second Chamber of the States General for the Christian Democratic Alliance (CDA).