The Directorate-General for Kingdom Relations (DG KR) is responsible for cooperation between the Netherlands and the countries Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the islands Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. This involves policy advice and interdepartmental coordination, as well as planning, establishing, and implementing stimulation programs and projects in this area. The task for the Director-General for Kingdom Relations is to raise the facilities, such as housing, road networks, and neighborhood development, on the islands to a higher level in the coming years and to increase the economic resilience and independence of the islands. This requires decisiveness, diplomacy, an integrated approach, and an open and equal attitude. In-depth knowledge of and insight into the context, developments, and sensitivities of the different parts of the Kingdom (geographically, historically, administratively) is, of course, essential. The Director-General is also expected to successfully manage the reorganization of the DG KR, paying attention to workload and the input of different perspectives.
Since July 2017, Barbera Wolfensberger has been Director-General for Culture and Media at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Additionally, she is the portfolio holder for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom on all OCW topics within the OCW board. Prior to that, she was Chief Marketing Officer at De Telegraaf Media Group and from 2014 to 2027 chair of the Top Sector Creative Industry at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Earlier, she was Chief Executive Officer at FHV BBDO and Head of Corporate Identity & Communications at HEMA. She studied Communication at the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences.
This appointment was made through the procedure for the top management group of the General Administrative Service.
