Prime minister Dick Schoof has said he will press for Wopke Hoekstra to be given a “substantial” porfolio in the new European commission.

Schoof confirmed that the cabinet had nominated Hoekstra to stay on in Brussels, where he has been commissioner for climate action since last October.

But the Dutch government want the former finance minister to be given a different brief reflecting his experience and reputation as a “heavyweight” candidate.

Hoekstra was seen as a pragmatic choice to maximise the Netherlands’ chances of securing an influential post in the new European commission after Ursula von der Leyen was elected for a second term as president.

“A substantial portfolio is in the economic field. We think that is important and I have every confidence that we will achieve it,” Schoof said.

I have just nominated Wopke Hoekstra for the position of Commissioner in the new European Commission. This gives the Netherlands a strong candidate for a substantial portfolio. I informed the House of Representatives this morning. pic.twitter.com/qUOscc36BH

— Dick Schoof (@MinPres) July 23, 2024

Hoekstra said on social media platform X, better known as Twitter, that he was “very honoured” to have been nominated as the Netherlands’ commissioner.

The decision to reappoint a former minister from an opposition party has raised some eyebrows, but is not unprecedented. Hoekstra’s predecessor as climate commissioner, Frans Timmermans, stayed on in 2019 despite the Labour party (PvdA) losing three-quarters of its seats at the general election two years earlier.