Tom Berendsen
Official portrait, 2024
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 23 February 2026
Prime Minister	Rob Jetten
Preceded by	David van Weel
Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal in the European Parliament
In office 16 July 2024 – 22 February 2026
Preceded by	Jeroen Lenaers
Member of the European Parliament
In office 2 July 2019 – 22 February 2026
Succeeded by	Willemien Koning-Hoeve
Constituency	Netherlands
Personal details
Born	Tom Berend Willem Berendsen (1983-04-11) 11 April 1983 (age 43) Breda, Netherlands
Party	Christian Democratic Appeal
Alma mater	Tilburg University

Tom Berend Willem Berendsen (born 11 April 1983) is a Dutch politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Jetten cabinet since 2026. From 2019 until his appointment to the government he served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).^[1] He is a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).

Education and early career

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Berendsen studied public administration at Tilburg University, as well as at the Catholic University of Leuven as part of an Erasmus exchange.

Following his studies, Berendsen moved to Brussels where he became an intern at the lobbying office for North Brabant. From 2009 until 2015, he worked for the CDA delegation at the European Parliament. He later worked as a sustainability consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in the Netherlands.

Political career

Berendsen took office as a Member of the European Parliament following the 2019 election. In the European Parliament, he has since served on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Regional Development. In addition to his committee assignments, he is part of the European Parliament's delegation for relations to the Pan-African Parliament.^[1] He is also a member of the URBAN Intergroup.^[2] He ran for re-election in June 2024 as the CDA's lead candidate. As part of the campaign, Berendsen stressed the importance of the European defense industry during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and he advocated for an environmentally-friendly industrial policy.^[3] The CDA secured three seats in the European Parliament, and Berendsen received a second term.^[4] He has subsequently served as his party's parliamentary leader.^[5]

Personal life

Berendsen was born in Breda,^[6] and he has a wife. He is a supporter of football club NAC Breda.^[7]

Electoral history

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (June 2024)

References

External links

• European Parliament profile
• EPP Group profile
• CDA profile (in Dutch)