Pieter Grinwis
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
31 March 2021
Member of The Hague municipal council
In office
27 March 2014 – 15 April 2021[1]
Succeeded byJudith Klokkenburg
Personal details
Born
Pieter Aren Grinwis[2]

(1979-10-12) 12 October 1979
Ouddorp, Netherlands
Political partyChristian Union
Children4
Alma mater

Pieter Aren Grinwis (born 12 October 1979) is a Dutch politician, who has been serving as a member of the House of Representatives on behalf of the Christian Union since March 2021. He previously served as a municipal councilor in The Hague and assisted the party in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Early life and education

Grinwis was born in 1979 in Ouddorp in South Holland as the son of an arable farmer. He grew up in that village with his two younger brothers and attended the Middelharnis secondary school CSG Prins Maurits at vwo level.[3][4][5][6][7] Grinwis subsequently studied economics of agriculture and environment at Wageningen University and Research, but he did not finish his program due to an illness and a scooter accident.[8] He was a member of the Reformed Political Party (SGP) and of the Christian student organization C.S.F.R.[9][10] He has told that he ended up at the Christian Union due to senator and philosopher Egbert Schuurman, one of his professors in university.[11]

Grinwis received a degree in public administration from Leiden University in 2020.[8][4]

Career

Starting in October 2002, he interned at the Christian Union's scientific institute and its European Parliament caucus.[12] He replaced a staff worker, who was on parental leave, the following year and got a permanent position as policy officer of the House caucus in 2004.[3][9] He served as the political assistant to state secretary and minister Tineke Huizinga starting in 2007.[3][13] Besides, he was on Christian Union's 2006 election program committee, and he would later also help write the programs for the general elections in 2010, 2012, 2017, and 2021.[14][15][16][17][18] In 2010, he became a political and financial–economic advisor of Wim Kuijken, the commissioner of the Delta Programme, which aims to prevent flooding. Grinwis had been involved in the creation of the governmental cooperation as Huizinga's assistant and continued working there until 2015.[19][20]

Municipal councilor (2014–2021)

Grinwis was the lijsttrekker of the shared list of the Christian Union and the SGP during the 2014 municipal election in The Hague. Both parties had a history of cooperating in The Hague municipal politics with the exception of the previous election, when neither party won any seats in the council.[13] During the campaign, Grinwis advocated curbing prostitution in the city by introducing a ban on procuring.[21] He was elected and was installed on 27 March.[22] While in the municipal council, Grinwis also worked as a financial advisor for the Christian Union caucus in the House of Representatives and the Senate.[23][24] Grinwis introduced over 65 motions and amendments that passed during his first term, more than any other councilor in The Hague in the same years.[25] In the 2017 election, he ran for MP, appearing on the 14th place of the Christian Union's party list. His party won five seats, while Grinwis received 269 preferential votes – not enough to be elected.[26] He served as a negotiator of the Christian Union concerned with financial policy during the government formation.[27] In that position, he found a way to prevent health insurance deductibles from having to increase despite European regulations by raising premiums.[28]

He was re-elected as municipal councilor in 2018, again being the lijsttrekker of the Christian Union and the SGP.[23] He favored leaving the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area partnership, calling it undemocratic.[29] The council banned the sale of laughing gas on the streets in 2020, a year after Grinwis had first proposed it.[30]

Election to the House of Representatives

In the 2021 general election, Grinwis appeared on the Christian Union's party list as the fifth candidate.[31] He designed a new tax system for the campaign, calling the current one "hopelessly unjust, complex, and individualistic". He said that the current system was focused too much on stimulating people to do paid work.[32] To make the system less complicated, he proposed abolishing allowances (toeslagen), exemptions, and most deductions, and – to compensate for this – he proposed instituting a single tax deduction for households, lowering income tax, and raising the minimum wage, the state pension, and the municipal welfare (bijstand) by 10%.[33] Furthermore, under the plan, corporate taxes would be increased.[32]

Grinwis was sworn into the House on 31 March after having been elected with 1,240 preference votes.[34] He was a member of the Committees for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, for Finance, for Infrastructure and Water Management, and for Public Expenditure, and he served as his party's spokesperson for agriculture, nature, food quality, finances, climate, energy, water management, housing, spatial planning, economic affairs, and infrastructure.[3][35] Grinwis vacated his seat in The Hague municipal council on 15 April.[1]

House term

He was involved in the creation of a €514 million national insulation program to make buildings more sustainable. In anticipation to the program, Grinwis presented together with the CDA and GroenLinks a twelve-point manifesto, which included making subsidies attractive to lower-income households and which had to be considered in the drafting of the actual program according to a passed motion.[36][37] In the House, Grinwis also proposed for policy officers of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to be encouraged to intern at farms, nature organizations, and the NVWA, and he unsuccessfully called for a halt to the construction of new data centers due to their footprint and energy usage, when one in Zeewolde for Facebook was nearing approval.[38][39] He brought forward a compromise in May 2022 when D66 and GroenLinks wanted to abolish unelected members of water councils through an initiative bill. Grinwis's amendment was carried to remove the unelected member of daily management and to fix the unelected water council members to two representing farmers and two representing nature organizations, thereby getting rid of company representatives. The bill subsequently passed the House.[40] In October 2022, Grinwis proposed a new tax on online shopping deliveries due to their greenhouse gas emissions and the nuisance caused by delivery vans. The money raised would be invested in small and medium-sized enterprises.[41]

Furthermore, Grinwis submitted an initiative bill with Henk Nijboer (Labour Party) to prohibit temporary rental contracts for houses in most cases. They had been allowed since 2016 to increase the stock of rental homes and accounted for one third of new contracts, but Grinwis argued that they had been ineffective and had caused uncertainty among renters. He decried an amendment proposed by the VVD and the CDA to include an exception for landlords with one unit who want to sell their property. A majority of the House favored the bill without the amendment after the CDA had dropped its support, and it was adopted by the Senate in November 2023.[42][43][44]

The National Political Index – an initiative to quantify the activities of members of parliament – concluded that Grinwis was the most active House member of the 2022/23 political year. He had ranked second the year before.[45]

Personal life

Grinwis lives in The Hague, and he has a wife called Suzanne and four children.[3][5]

Electoral history

Electoral history of Pieter Grinwis
Year Body Party Pos. Votes Result Ref.
Party seats Individual
2017 House of Representatives Christian Union 14 269 5 Lost [46]
2021 House of Representatives Christian Union 5 1,240 5 Won [47]
2023 House of Representatives Christian Union 2 4,449 3 Won [48]

References

  1. 1 2 "Opvolgers" [Successors]. AD/Haagse Courant (in Dutch). 16 April 2021. p. 2.
  2. ↑ "P.A. (Pieter) Grinwis". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pieter Grinwis". Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Biografie, onderwijs en loopbaan van Pieter Grinwis" [Biography, education, and career of Pieter Grinwis]. Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  5. 1 2 Klaassen, Niels (3 February 2018). "Zomers spring ik op de trekker" [In the summer, I hop on the tractor]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  6. ↑ Visscher, Johannes (20 July 2019). "Hoe beslissing over prostitutie drukt op CU-wethouder" [How the decision about prostitution is weighing on Christian Union alderman]. Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Grinwis, Pieter (14 March 2023). "College Boer met Pieter Grinwis (CU): 'Ik ben geen politicus die vooral wil pleasen'" [College Boer with Pieter Grinwis (CU): 'I am not a politician who wants to please all the time']. Nieuwe Oogst (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Esther de Snoo. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  8. 1 2 De Koning, Petra (12 October 2020). "Aankomend CU-kamerlid Pieter Grinwis: 'Vijfhonderd kinderen uit Lesbos kunnen er natuurlijk makkelijk bij in Nederland'" [Future CU member of parliament Pieter Grinwis: '500 children form Lesbos will obviously fit easily in the Netherlands']. nrc.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  9. 1 2 Guijt, Erwin (20 November 2020). "Goeree-Overflakkee is waar ik me thuis voel" [I feel at home on Goeree-Overflakkee]. Eilanden Nieuws (in Dutch). Vol. 91, no. 8945. p. 18.
  10. ↑ Grinwis, Pieter (15 July 2021). "Pieter Grinwis over zijn favoriete boek: 'C.S. Lewis gaf mij een rijker zicht op de werkelijkheid'" [Pieter Grinwis about his favorite book: 'C.S. Lewis gave me a richer view of reality']. Nederlands Dagblad (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Rimme Mastebroek. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  11. ↑ Grinwis, Pieter (9 August 2021). "#6 | Pieter Grinwis (CU)". BNR (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Eduard Schaepman. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  12. ↑ "Personalia" [Personal details] (PDF). Nieuwsbrief (in Dutch). Vol. 4, no. 1. Mr. G. Groen van Prinsterer Stichting. June 2003. p. 2. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  13. 1 2 Beverdam, Gerard (25 January 2014). "Hereniging van CU en SGP in Haagse raad is gebedsverhoring" [Reunification of CU and SGP in The Hague council is fulfillment of prayers]. Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch).
  14. ↑ "Duurzaam voor elkaar" [Sustainable for each other] (PDF) (in Dutch). ChristenUnie. p. 76. Retrieved 30 October 2020 – via Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.
  15. ↑ "Vooruitzien: christelijk-sociaal perspectief" [Looking ahead: Christian and social perspective] (PDF). ChristenUnie (in Dutch). p. 5. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  16. ↑ "Voor de verandering: 7 christelijk-sociale hervormingen" [In support of change: 7 Christian and social reforms] (PDF). ChristenUnie (in Dutch). p. 3. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  17. ↑ "Hoopvol Realistisch: Voorstellen voor een samenleving met toekomst" [Hopeful realistic: proposals for a society with a future] (PDF). ChristenUnie (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  18. ↑ "Kiezen voor wat écht telt" [Choosing for what really matters] (PDF). ChristenUnie (in Dutch). p. 2. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  19. ↑ "Grinwis lijsttrekker voor ChristenUnie/SGP in Den Haag" [Grinwis lijsttrekker of Christian Union/SGP]. Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). 12 September 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  20. ↑ Marchau, Vincent A.W.J.; Walker, Warren E.; Bloemen, Pieter J.T.M.; Popper, Steven W., eds. (2019). Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty: From Theory to Practice (PDF). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. p. 350. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-05252-2. ISBN 978-3-030-05252-2. S2CID 145876608. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  21. ↑ "Aanval op de seksindustrie" [An assault on the sex industry]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 3 January 2014. p. 8.
  22. ↑ "Vergadering RAAD 27-03-2014" [Meeting COUNCIL 27-03-2014]. Den Haag (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  23. 1 2 "Ook kleinere partijen in Haagse raad allemaal klaar voor verkiezingen" [Smaller parties are all ready for the elections as well]. Omroep West (in Dutch). 4 December 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  24. ↑ Ten Broeke, Marcel (12 October 2017). "Koopkracht eenverdiener wel, maar kloof niet hersteld" [Purchasing power of sole wage earners has been restored, but not the gap]. Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  25. ↑ Wolvers, Gijsbert (2 March 2018). "Christelijke politiek in grote stad zit meer in de stijl" [Christian politics in the big city is mostly visible in the style]. Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  26. ↑ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2017 (getekend exemplaar)" [Results of the 2017 general election (signed copy)] (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). 21 March 2017. pp. 118 and 119. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  27. ↑ Berentsen, Laurens (12 October 2017). "Ondernemers hangt hogere belasting boven het hoofd" [Entrepreneurs can expect higher taxes]. Het Financieele Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  28. ↑ De Koning, Petra (27 October 2017). "Eén lange ontgroening voor de kleine ChristenUnie" [One long initiation for the small Christian Union]. nrc.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  29. ↑ Graveland, Germa (29 December 2017). "Den Haag moet gaan voor Hexit" [The Hague should go for a Hexit]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). p. 12.
  30. ↑ Navis, Jan-Willem (12 October 2020). "Lachgas verkopen op straat in Den Haag per direct strafbaar, gebruikers binnenkort ook de klos" [Sale of laughing gas on the streets of The Hague immediately forbidden, users will shortly be in problems]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  31. ↑ Zuidervaart, Bart (11 October 2020). "De ChristenUnie gaat met nieuwe gezichten naar de verkiezingen" [The Christian Union will enter the election with new faces]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  32. 1 2 Griniws, Pieter (9 November 2020). "Ons belastingstelsel is stuk" [Our tax system is broken]. Nederlands Dagblad (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Eduard Sloot. p. 14.
  33. ↑ Herderscheê, Gijs (9 November 2020). "Een radicale belastinghervorming: zo kan het, denkt de ChristenUnie" [Radical tax reform: this is how it could be done according to the Christian Union]. De Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  34. ↑ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 17 maart 2021" [Results general election 17 March 2021] (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). 26 March 2021. p. 269. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  35. ↑ "Over Pieter Grinwis" [About Pieter Grinwis]. ChristenUnie (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  36. ↑ "Partijen willen tegoedbon om woningisolatie makkelijker te maken" [Parties want voucher to make insulation of homes easier]. NOS (in Dutch). 13 September 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  37. ↑ "Minister Ollongren presenteert nationaal isolatieprogramma" [Minister Ollongren presents national insulation program]. Rijksoverheid (Press release) (in Dutch). 12 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  38. ↑ Winterman, Peter (1 December 2021). "ChristenUnie: 'Iedere ambtenaar moet stage lopen bij boer'" [Christian Union: 'Every civil servant should intern at a farmer']. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  39. ↑ "Tweede Kamer wijst voorstel om voorlopig geen datacenters te bouwen af" [House of Representatives rejects proposal to halt construction of data centers for the foreseeable future]. Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 14 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  40. ↑ Peer, Wouter (31 May 2022). "Boeren behouden vaste zetels in waterschappen, bedrijven verliezen inspraak" [Farmers keep unelected seats on water councils, companies loose say]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  41. ↑ "ChristenUnie wil belasting invoeren op thuisbezorgde pakketjes" [Christian Union wants to introduce tax on packages delivered to homes]. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 5 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  42. ↑ Obbink, Hanne (5 September 2022). "Tijdelijk contract tast zekerheid van huurder aan, PvdA en ChristenUnie willen ervan af" [Temporary contract worsens certainty of renter, the Labour Party and Christian Union want to get rid of it]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  43. ↑ "Kamer steunt initiatiefwet: vast huurcontract weer de norm" [House supports initiative bill: Fixed contract again the standard]. NOS (in Dutch). 11 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  44. ↑ "Toch steun in Eerste Kamer voor wet tegen tijdelijke huurcontracten" [Support in Senate after all for law banning temporary rental contracts]. NOS (in Dutch). 14 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  45. ↑ "Oud-raadslid Pieter Grinwis (ChristenUnie) gekroond als meest actieve parlementariër" [Former councilor Pieter Grinwis (Christian Union) named most active member of parliament]. Den Haag FM (in Dutch). 30 August 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  46. ↑ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2017 (getekend exemplaar)" [Results House of Representatives 2017 (signed example)] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 21 March 2017. pp. 118–119. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  47. ↑ "Proces-verbaal verkiezingsuitslag Tweede Kamer 2021" [Report of the election results House of Representatives 2021] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 29 March 2021. pp. 131–132. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  48. ↑ "Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023" [Report of the results of the election of the House of Representatives on 4 December 2023] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 4 December 2023. pp. 109–110. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
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