Erudite Dutch liberal politician and writer.
His father Dr. Nicolaas “Nico” Bolkestein (27 July 1910, Den Haag- 3 December 1993, Deventer) was a lawyer, after the war judge in Leeuwarden and Social Democratic major of Middelburg (1950-1957) and Deventer (1957-1975). His mother Anna Margaretha Meijjes was born in Semarang, Indonesia and became a housewife. They married in 4 March 1926 in Naarden and Frits was their third child.
His grandfather Gerrit Bolkestein (9 October 1871, Amsterdam – 8 September 1956, Den Haag) was Minister for Education, Art and Science from 1939 until 1945, and was part of the Dutch government-in-exile from 1940. Because of that, his father was arrested and kept prison as a hostage in St. Michielsgestel (1942-44). As the family had no income, it was a troublesome time.
He followed the Barlaeus Gymnasium in Amsterdam. He studied mathematics at the Oregon State College, USA from 1951-53. From 1955-59 he studied mathematics and physics, philosophy and Greek at the University of Amsterdam, in 1964 Economics in London and became in 1965 Master at Law at the University of Leiden.
He made from 1960 till 1976 an international career with Shell Group with posts in East Africa (1960-64), Honduras and El Salvador (1965-68), London (1968-70), Indonesia (1970-72) and Paris( 1973-76) as the Director of Shell Chimie, Paris. Thereafter he went into politics for the Liberal VVD (member since 1975).
From 16 January 1978 till 5 November 1982 he member of Parliament for the Liberal VVD party. From 5 November 1982 till 14 July 1986 he was Minister for Foreign Trade under Lubbers. From 3 June 1986 till 24 September 1988 he was again in Dutch Parliament, being Chairman Atlantic Commission of the Netherlands.
From 24 September 1988 till 7 November 1989 he was Minister of Defence under Lubbers II. From 14 September 1989 till 21 September 1999 he was member of parliament again. From 1 May 1990 till 30 July 1998, he was Chairman of the V.V.D. Parliamentary Group (elected 30 April 1990 in Garderen).
From 1996-1999 he was President of Liberal International. From 17 September till 2 November 2004 he was Member of the European Commission, dealing with the internal market and fiscal affairs. Some of the more politically sensitive items in his portfolio were the draft community patent regulation and the draft directives on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions and services in the internal market, the so-called “Bolkestein Directive”, which has become the focus of heated debate.
From 17 September 1999 till 22 November 2004, he was professor at Delft and Leiden dealing with the intellectual foundations of political development.
He wrote many essays, drama (Floris, count of Holland, 1976) and held many lectures.
Personal
Bolkestein is married to the actress Femke Boersma (11 December 1935, Amsterdam) and had three children and 1 stepchild. Their son Nico Gabbe Bolkestein (3 January 1961, Dar-es-Salaam – 2 October 2009, Scheveningen) drowned during one of his regular swimming exercises in sea.
The Dutch right wing populist and former VVD politician politician Geert Wilders was student of the often brash and controversial intellectual Bolkestein, who already on 21 October 1993 started the debate about Muslim immigrant streams from Africa and Asia to West Europa. In October 2004, Bolkestein was the only EU commission member that was opposed to the EU talks with Turkey about EU membership.

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