is Minister for European Affairs. After completing his secondary education, he graduated in 1987 simultaneously in constitutional and administrative law and in political science at the Free University of Amsterdam. For the next three years Mr Nicolaï worked at the Ministry of Welfare, Health and Cultural Affairs, latterly as head of the Arts Section. He went on to become general secretary first of the Dutch Arts Council and then of the Council for Culture. In 1997-1998 he also acted as part-time project leader for a review of basic policy principles at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. From 1998 to 2002 he served the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) as a member of the House of Representatives of the States General. Among his other activities, Mr Nicolaï has served on the board of the Boekmanstichting study centre for arts, culture and related policy and was co-founder of the Rushdie defence committee. From 22 July 2002 Mr Nicolaï was State Secretary for European Affairs in the first Balkenende government. He was appointed to the same post in the second Balkenende government on 27 May 2003. He is referred to, when abroad, as Minister for European Affairs.