Minister Hoekstra will continue to promote Marcel de Vink to the position of Director General of Political Affairs in Foreign Affairs. The Cabinet approved de Fink’s appointment, and his selection led to turmoil in the ministry last week.
Hundreds of civil servants in a letter have criticized the way senior positions in the State Department are being filled. They believe that too few women are recruited and that the targets for proportional distribution are far from being achieved.
Internal procedures for the senior position revealed another candidate: Birgitta Tazelar was nominated by a unanimous selection committee. She now holds the position of Deputy Director General for International Cooperation at the Ministry. Today it was announced that the successful Tazelar will get another job: she will be ambassador to Washington in the summer of next year.
Chose Hoekstra de Vink at the last minute
In the vacant position of Director-General for Political Affairs, Minister Hoekstra at the last minute selected De Fink, the current Deputy Director-General for Political Affairs. His appointment will take effect in August in what is considered the most influential official position in the ministry.
Hoekstra, who describes herself as a feminist, described the behavior of officials who demanded more senior positions for women as “really difficult”. He also supported the letter writers’ letter, but declined to comment on the specific appointment.
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