US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE792

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 000792 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/CT, EUR, EUR/UBI, INL 
DOJ FOR OIA  FRIEDMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2014 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, NL, BIO 
SUBJECT: BIO INFORMATION ON NEW EU CT COORDINATOR 
 
 
Classified by DCM Danny Russel for reasons 1.5 (b & d). 
 
1. (U) On March 25, Dutchman Gijs de Vries was officially 
appointed by European government leaders as EU counter- 
terrorism coordinator.  Below follows his biographic 
information. 
 
2. (C) COMMENT: De Vries is known to Embassy officers as a 
quiet and serious man who has been active in trans-Atlantic 
policy issues, particularly through his involvement with 
the Netherlands Atlantic Commission.  He is described as 
very smart, approachable, well versed in the EU ways of 
working and positive towards the US.  Our Dutch contacts 
say he was selected to replace the former FM van Mierlo as 
the GONL rep to the IGC because he was "solid, but not a 
difficult to guide heavy hitter."  We judge that he brings 
to his new job an in depth knowledge of the EU, an ability 
to recognize bureaucratic pitfalls, and a Dutchman's knack 
for teasing consensus out of a fractious group.  We do not 
believe, however, that he has much knowledge of CT issues. 
END COMMENT. 
 
3. (U) Gijsbert Marius (Gijs) de Vries was born in New York 
on February 22, 1956, and is a dual national.  He is 
married to a Canadian and has two children.  He studied at 
the University of Leiden and graduated with a degree in 
politics in 1981.  For the next three years he was attached 
to the Faculty of Law at the Leiden University.  In 1984 he 
became a member of the European Parliament, representing 
the Liberal VVD Party.  Between 1989 and 1992 he was 
chairman of the European Parliament delegation for 
relations with Canada.  In July 1994, he became chairman of 
the Liberal and Democratic group within the European 
Parliament.  From 1998 to 2002 he served as State Secretary 
of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the second 
"Purple" Kok Cabinet.  From 2002 to 2003 he was government 
representative in the European Convention. 
 
4. (U) His other previous functions include: board member 
of the Political Institutions Committee of Amnesty 
International; board member of the European Union Baroque 
Orchestra; the supervisory board of the Intercai telematics 
consultancy; advisory committee of the Amsterdam-Sarajevo 
City Link organization; and the advisory committee of the 
Anti-Racism Information Center.  In addition, De Vries 
chaired the Netherlands Atlantic Association and was co- 
founder of the Transatlantic Policy Network. 
 
5. (U) As State Secretary for the Interior, De Vries was 
responsible for contingency planning as well as for 
Netherlands Antillean affairs.  His fellow politicians 
describe him as "intelligent, sharp, analytical, modest, 
and to-the-point."  He is praised for his integrity, 
knowledge of languages and extensive European network. 
Because of his sober lifestyle, his colleagues in the 
European Parliament sometimes called him "le vent du nord 
(northern wind)."  However, De Vries received praise more 
for his work as MEP than as Interior State Secretary.  In 
2000 and 2001 he was faced with two major disasters 
(fireworks explosion in Enschede and bar fire in Volendam), 
which he didn't handle very well, according to critics.  De 
Vries was also criticized by the government of the 
Netherlands Antilles for forcing them to cut spending 
without keeping his promises for social support. 
 
6. (U) In an interview in Volkskrant daily of March 26, De 
Vries admits he doesn't know much about intelligence 
services.  De Vries: "I come from a different world.  I do 
know a lot about European legislation and diplomacy, which 
is crucial for a sharper anti-terror policy."  He notes 
that "liberty, democracy and security are core principles 
for a liberal like me.  Terrorists are threatening these 
values and then I consider it my duty to defend them."  De 
Vries observes that, as State Secretary for the Interior, 
he was closely involved in drawing up plans to prevent 
nuclear, bacteriological and chemical attacks in the 
Netherlands.  As CT coordinator, De Vries also sees himself 
as a "driver, someone who tackles member-states failing to 
observe their commitments."  According to De Vries, one of 
Europe's main shortcomings is implementing laws. 
 
Sobel