In 1970, Van den Broek became politically active as a member of the Rheden city council for the KVP. His political talent was quickly recognized, leading to his election as a member of the House of Representatives in 1976. During the turbulent 1980s, marked by significant international tensions and changes, Van den Broek served first as Secretary of State and later as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

During the commemoration, President Jan Anthonie Bruijn remarked that Van den Broek deliberately chose quiet diplomacy over megaphone diplomacy. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Van den Broek was not often in the Senate, as foreign relations consist more of diplomacy and policy, and less of legislation, said Bruijn.

Nevertheless, there were enough reasons for debates in the Senate, such as the 1986 agreement with the United States on deploying cruise missiles in the Netherlands, and the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, one of his last debates in the Senate. In 1992, he became a European Commissioner. After leaving the European Commission in 1999, Van den Broek served as Chairman of the Clingendael Institute, the World Broadcasting Corporation, and the Carnegie Foundation.

Hans van den Broeks contribution to Dutch and European society, to the position of the Netherlands and Europe in the world, and to Dutch parliamentary democracy has been of great value. His commitment to public administration and the general social interest is an example for many, concluded Bruijn.

Prime Minister Schoof also reflected on the turbulent years during which Hans van den Broek was one of the leading politicians who guided our country through a period of great international tensions and changes in the 1980s and 1990s. These were the years of the cruise missile debate, the Balkan War, the Gulf War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the subsequent accession of many former Eastern Bloc countries to the European Union.

Schoof: Van den Broek operated with a steady hand and calm conviction.

With extensive knowledge and a good understanding of international relations.

And with the caution and realism innate to him as a born diplomat - always keeping an eye on the ball.

Despite the international prestige he built up over the years as Secretary of State, Minister, and later as European Commissioner, he never lost sight of the Netherlands. For Van den Broek, the intertwining of domestic and foreign affairs was a given. He lived and worked from the deep conviction that international cooperation was a national interest, said Schoof.