D66’s Nathalie Van Berkel Withdraws as State Secretary Candidate after CV Controversy

D66 member Nathalie van Berkel has stepped down as a candidate for state secretary following reports from several media outlets highlighting errors in her CV, incoming Prime Minister Rob Jetten has announced. Van Berkel had been nominated as state secretary for Finance in the D66-VVD-CDA minority cabinet. In her statement, she said she was withdrawing “for the sake of a smooth start for the Cabinet.”

De Volkskrant reported that Van Berkel claimed on LinkedIn to have earned a master’s in public administration from Leiden University, which was inaccurate. She actually holds a propedeuse in public administration from The Hague University of Applied Sciences and did not finish the admission process for the master’s program at Leiden. Multiple versions of her CV and LinkedIn profiles implied she had completed a university degree, which was not the case.

When confronted by the media, Van Berkel gave varying explanations and updated her LinkedIn profile three times. While D66 stated that they were internally aware of her incomplete studies, De Telegraaf reported that she had also provided inaccurate information to the General Administrative Service (ABD) when joining the Executive Board of the UWV.

Opposition pressure was intense, with JA21 leader Joost Eerdmans calling for Van Berkel to step down immediately. Rob Jetten stressed that in a minority coalition, where backing must be secured for every law, the credibility of ministers and state secretaries is essential. “We saw today that some opposition parties raised concerns, and that can hinder an effective role as state secretary.”

Van Berkel is currently a member of parliament for D66 and will remain so, according to Jetten.

Jetten aims to finalize a new candidate for the Finance position “as quickly as possible.” The new Jetten cabinet is set to be inaugurated on February 23, 2026.