Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Dutchman Robert De Groot will start his duties as Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) on February 1. Dutch diplomat De Groot succeeds Belgian Peters, former deputy prime minister, who wanted to remain in office for another six months.
According to the media in Brussels, last year, the press reported that the federal government wanted to extend Chris Peters' term for another six months. Especially since during that period Belgium will assume the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. The question was put to The Hague, but Belgium received no response.
Peters has officially been working at the EIB since January 2021. After the departure of his Dutch predecessor in early 2018, the Benelux seat remained vacant for a long time because Belgium failed to nominate a successor, much to the annoyance of the Netherlands.
The European Investment Bank is the financial institution of the European Union. The bank, which has a registered office in Luxembourg, finances the projects.
It had been known for some time that Robert de Groot would become Peters' successor. The Dutch government approved his candidacy in July. Robert De Groot resigned from his position as Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the European Union. He had previously worked in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1988. From 1998 to 2002 he was also an advisor on European affairs to then Prime Minister Wim Kok.