The Machiavelli Award 2022 has been awarded to Johan Remkes took place in Perscentrum Nieuwspoort. The Machiavelli Prize was then awarded by Marja Wagenaar, chair of the Machiavelli Foundation.
Explanation of jury decision
The full jury report is available here.
“With a keen eye for content and at the same time a warm feeling for the sentiment present, he manages to bind people and get them moving,” according to the jury report. It focuses on his approach to the 2022 nitrogen crisis. “The Remkes factor, which is about communication,” the jury report continues. “Johan Remkes connects parties and knows how to restart a stalled dialogue. With an eye for the differences between the frames of mind in political The Hague and the daily practice of farmers.”
“Clear language and a down-to-earth attitude. Sending with authority, but also receiving. Knowing when to talk, to listen and when to be silent. All this has been crucial in pulling the nitrogen file out of the doldrums. And to give desperate farmers a little perspective and confidence again.” Watch the awards ceremony below [begins at 27:45] ⬇️
