Thierry Aartsen
Thierry Aartsen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alfons Adrianus Aartsen December 19, 1989 Breda, Netherlands |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | Member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands since 2018; former municipal councillor of Breda |
Alfons Adrianus "Thierry" Aartsen (born 19 December 1989) is a Dutch legislator who has been serving in the House of Representatives since September 2018. Prior to this role, he was a member of the municipal council of Breda from 2010 until 2018. He represents the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).
Education and career
Aartsen completed his secondary education at the havo level at Newmancollege in Breda. He then obtained a bachelor's degree in European Studies from The Hague University of Applied Sciences.
He became a VVD member in 2007 and was elected to Breda's city council in 2010, successfully retaining his seat in the 2014 and 2018 elections. Between 2015 and 2018, he served as the VVD faction leader within the council. Simultaneously, from 2013 to 2018, he held the position of account manager at FME-CWM.
In the 2017 parliamentary elections, Aartsen was placed 46th on the VVD candidate list, which was not high enough to secure a seat initially. However, he entered the House of Representatives in September 2018 as a replacement for Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and was officially sworn in on 13 September. Shortly after assuming office, he apologized following criticism over previous tweets concerning train suicides. After winning re-election in 2023, Aartsen took on the role of VVD spokesperson for areas including socioeconomic policy, labor conditions, labor migration, retirement provisions, and matters related to the Dutch royal family. He was re-elected again in the October 2025 general election.
Political views
Aartsen has expressed criticism towards the Dutch welfare system, describing it as "a kind of redistribution monster." He argues that benefit reductions linked to income increases discourage employment and negatively impact the working middle class. Consequently, he supports reforms to both benefits and tax credits.
In 2024, Aartsen authored a white paper addressing labor migration, signaling a change from the VVD's earlier stance against restricting it. He connected challenges in housing, education, and healthcare to rising migration levels, identifying it as the most pressing political concern. His proposals include decreasing reliance on unskilled foreign labor by promoting automation through subsidies and increasing labor costs in specific sectors. Additionally, he called upon businesses and local governments to take greater responsibility for providing housing to labor migrants.
Electoral history
| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 2017 | House of Representatives | VVD | 46 | 1,342 | 33 | Template:No2[lower-alpha 1] | Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content
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| 2021 | House of Representatives | VVD | 11 | 5,441 | 34 | Template:Yes2 | Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content
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| 2023 | House of Representatives | VVD | 13 | 4,071 | 24 | Template:Yes2 | Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content
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| 2025 | House of Representatives | VVD | 14 | 3,834 | 22 | Template:Yes2 | Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content
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External links
- Thierry Aartsen – Dutch House of Representatives (in Dutch)
- Thierry Aartsen – People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (in Dutch)
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