Frans Timmermans, Former Executive VP & Climate Commissioner

Frans Timmermans (born in Maastricht, 1961) began his career as a diplomat. After serving as a member of parliament for the Dutch Labour Party and holding the position of State Secretary for European Cooperation, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2012.
In 2014, Timmermans moved to Brussels, where he became the First Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. In 2019, he was appointed Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal. In this role, he led ambitious green legislation, including the Green Deal and the Nature Restoration Act, through the European Parliament. In August 2023, Timmermans resigned as EU Commissioner after being elected leader of the GroenLinks-PvdA alliance by members of GroenLinks and PvdA. He is now leading the opposition in the Dutch parliament.