Curriculum vitae

1945: Born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

1968: Graduates in political science from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland

1970: Master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Enters the Dutch diplomatic service.

1995: Appointed political adviser to the commander of NATO peacekeepers in Bosnia; further assignments for NATO in the Balkans and Brussels

2001: Deputy director-general in the Council of Ministers secretariat, Brussels

2004: Personal envoy of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana for Sudan/Darfur

2005: Head of EU expert team for Iraq

2006: Head of Aceh monitoring mission

2007: Appointed civilian operations commander for all EU civilian crisis missions

2008: Appointed EU special representative (EUSR) and head of the International Civilian Office (ICO)