Bonum Certa Men Certa

Cablegate: Director of Microsoft Netherlands Thought an Honorary Doctorate to Bill Gates Would Appease the Competition Commissioner

Cablegate



Summary: Regulation against several companies including Microsoft and how Microsoft viewed the appointment of Neelie Kroes at the time

FROM the following "SENSITIVE" Cablegate cable we learn that, according Director of Microsoft Netherlands Michel van der Bel, "the company had had good relations with Kroes in the past, including the granting to Bill Gates of an honorary doctorate from Nyenrode University during Kroes' tenure as President there."










UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 002040

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON [Economic Conditions], PREL [External Political Relations], PGOV [Internal Governmental Affairs], PINR [Intelligence], NL [Netherlands], EUN [European Union] SUBJECT: DUTCH CELEBRATE CAPTURE OF EU COMPETITION PORTFOLIO

REF: THE HAGUE 01955

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY.

€¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The Dutch are clearly satisfied and claiming victory over the appointment of Neelie Kroes-Smit (Kroes) as the new European Commissioner for Competition. Prime Minister Balkenende's strategy of holding out for a "heavy" portfolio appears to have paid off. Both the Netherlands' and Balkenende's image are likely to get a boost from this success. Kroes' reputation as a free-market and pro-Atlantic thinker could be a real plus for soothing tensions in the U.S.-EU relationship as well as opening a new era of dialogue between Brussels and big business operating in the EU. END SUMMARY.

€¶2. (U) The Dutch press is hailing the appointment of former Transport Minister Neelie Kroes-Smit as the new European Commissioner for Competition as a real victory. All August 13 Dutch morning papers included front-page stories on the appointment of Kroes, who comes from an entrepreneurial Rotterdam family that founded a transport business in the Netherlands. (See reftel for further biographic information.) Most commentators acknowledged surprise but also satisfaction with new European Commission President Barroso's selection of Kroes for the prized job of regulating mergers and acquisitions within the European Union as well as state subsides. Spokespersons for all major political parties have praised Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende for his "subtle" negotiating strategy and success in winning for the Netherlands what Liberals (free-market,conservative VVD) Lower House Leader Jozias van Aartsen called a "dream portfolio for a dream candidate." (Kroes is a VVD member.) Christian Democratic (center right CDA) spokesperson Maxime Verhagen spoke of winning the "top prize." Even the main opposition Labor (PvdA) spokesperson Frans Timmmermans, who had previously questioned Kroes' nomination by Balkenende and predicted that she would receive a less important portfolio, conceded his mistake and complimented Balkenende's cabinet and Kroes on the nomination.

€¶3. (U) Jacques Schraven, President of the influential VNO-NCW Employers organization also praised the "outstanding lobbying" of Balkenende, noting the importance of Kroes' position for establishing more "direct lines" for business and its boost for the Netherlands' image. Other reports describe Barroso's appointment of Kroes and others as giving a larger role to smaller member states within the EU, injecting new life into an "ailing European economy," and acknowledging the Netherlands position as the largest net contributor to the EU. Balkenende himself told the press that he was "very satisfied," describing Kroes' new job as a "core portfolio" in the Commission and her appointment as recognition of the key role the Netherlands has and will continue to play in the EU. In an August 12 press conference shortly after the announcement, Kroes pledged to maintain good contacts with The Hague while not becoming a "figurehead" for the GONL in Brussels.

€¶4. (U) Former Belgian Commissioner for Competition Karel van Miert, who also previously held the Transport portfolio, publicly advised Kroes that the job's main challenge would be to maintain her independence while also proving her knowledge of business and her ability to judge issues objectively and coherently. Van Miert praised Kroes, who had served as an advisor to Miert in the early 1990s while he was Transport Commissioner, for her energy and strength, noting that her formidable negotiating skills would serve her well. He also implied that the anti-trust case against Microsoft, brought by outgoing Commissioner Mario Monti, could be a real test of her abilities, especially if the European Court of First Instance agrees to Microsoft's request to overturn Monti's decision. The Director of Microsoft Netherlands Michel van der Bel refused to comment to the press on the case, but noted that the company had had good relations with Kroes in the past, including the granting to Bill Gates of an honorary doctorate from Nyenrode University during Kroes' tenure as President there. (Kroes is also likely to inherit the task of reaching final settlement of the Commission's five-year anti-trust case with Coca-Cola.)

COMMENT -- AT THE TOP IN BRUSSELS ---------------------------------

€¶5. (SBU) Balkenende's August 3 nomination of Kroes as the Dutch candidate for European Commissioner was initially met with some skepticism among political circles as well as annoyance with current Dutch Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkenstein's decision not to opt for a second term. VVD leadership actually decided in June to put Kroes forward as a candidate and subsequently reached agreement among the three coalition parties VVD, CDA, and Liberal Democrats (center left D66) not to name a particular candidate until Balkenende was able to negotiate for a "heavy" portfolio. Kroes apparently was always the front-runner, although Agriculture Minister Cees Veerman was an alternative for the Agriculture portfolio in the event that Balkenende's strategy failed. Balkenende reportedly first raised the issue with Barroso during a Netherlands-Germany soccer match during the July European Championship in Portugal and the discussion continued during Netherlands-Portugal game. Barroso continued to ask Balkenende for a female candidate, while Balkenende maintained that such an option was only possible if the Netherlands received a "heavy" financial-economic portfolio. On Tuesday afternoon, August 3, Barroso made that promise by telephone, whereupon Balkenende announced the nomination of Kroes.

€¶6. (SBU) Balkenende's strategy appears to have paid off. Both the Netherlands' and Balkenende's image, both domestically and internationally, are likely to gain from this success, which comes on the heels of the selection of Jaap de Hoop Scheffer for the prestigious NATO SYG post. Meanwhile, both domestic and international press are lauding Kroes as a free-market and pro-Atlantic thinker, whose occupancy of the "most important" EU Competition job could help to calm tensions in the U.S.-EU relationship and open an era of dialogue between Brussels and wary big business. END COMMENT. RUSSEL







For a little more about this theme, see the following cables:



Cablegate helps those who study history. Next up we'll look at some other themes.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft Actually in Trouble, Microsofters Unable to Obey Judges' Orders
For the second time in a week, Microsofters are unable to obey orders
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
Microsoft's Debt Exploded by 15.4 Billion Dollars in the Past 9 Months Alone (Despite All the Layoffs)
As of minutes ago, at 6PM on a Friday, the numbers are made public
LLMs as Attack Method Against Free Software and Programming
DDoS in "hey hi" (slop) clothing
Google as a 'Bullshit Generator' Disguised as Intelligence
It'll probably cause Google to get sued a lot, both by individuals and companies
As Expected, Google in the UK Now Experiments With Slop Instead of Web Search
At this point more people ought to stop and think: Does Google's search engine deserve trust?
 
Upcoming OSI Scandal Series
The OSI is a rogue actor because it serves Microsoft in exchange for money
Slopwatch: The Issue Persists, But the Consensus in the Media Changes as Google Enrages It With LLM Plagiarism
We've meanwhile assessed the latest output from Linuxiac
IRC Proceedings: Friday, August 01, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, August 01, 2025
Links 02/08/2025: İstanbul Retail Inflation Reaches 42.48%, US FBI Opens Office in New Zealand
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/08/2025: ZFS, LLM Hype, and Fake Modules
Links for the day
Links 01/08/2025: Health, Conflict, and Attacks on Freedom of the Press
Links for the day
Meeting (Webchat) With Maria Arranz Gomez, Florian Grundies, Jürgen Janda and Konstantinos Kortsaris Confronts EPO Management About Breaking Promises and Crushing Workers
The lack of consistent messages suggests plans other than what's advertised and the lack of consultation (secrecy) likewise
Links 01/08/2025: "The Great British Firewall" and U.S. Army Sponsors Palantir
Links for the day
For Second Day in a Row, Top Story in The Register MS is "Microsoft Says"
The editor in chief exercises control over everybody else
Stability and Reliability, Backward Compatibility
I don't fancy relying on social control media as "sources"
What "the News" Looks Like in 2025
The "says" (or "sez") phenomenon
History Will Be Distorted, Sometimes Intentionally, Under the Guise of Intelligence (Manipulated/Curated Slop)
Militarised misinformation or military-grade chaff is a national security threat, even domestically
Financial Engineering Companies: A Company Worth 4 Trillion Dollars Would Not Borrow 100+ Billion Dollars at Interest Rates Like Today's
Many headlines perpetuate the lie Microsoft had just 2 waves of layoffs
Microsoft is Googlebombing "Linux" While Paying Former News Sites to Publish SPAM
How much lower will IDG sink?
The Data You Don't Give Away is Your Advantage
stop sharing data that does not need to be shared
Being Obedient or Doing the Right Thing
The world always changes for the better because of people who think "Outside the Box", not the cogs
Gemini Links 01/08/2025: Happy Hacking Keyboards and New Gemini Arrivals
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 31, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 31, 2025
Sabotaging Linux on Behalf of Microsoft With UEFI 'Secure' Boot (De Facto Remote 'Kill Switch'), Then Defaming, Stalking and Harassing Critics of 'Secure' Boot for 12 Years, Then SLAPPing Their Spouses and Them
The sorts of stubborn lunatics we've been dealing with
Moving on in Techrights, Geeks Gonna Geek
In the coming weeks we plan to focus (as we explained last week) on patents, GNU/Linux issues, and the occasional philosophical essays
Slopwatch: Google News Has Lost the Plot
Almost the majority of articles returned for "Linux" are fakes
Links 31/07/2025: Australia Restricts YouTube Access, Personal Privacy at Risk
Links for the day
Links 31/07/2025: Spotify Collapses and Spotify Now Forcing Some Users to Undergo Face-Scanning
Links for the day
A Lot of Supposedly "Successful" Businesses Are Just Debt-Racking Vessels Without Any Prospects of Financial Sustainability
The probability of bankruptcy of any business is more than 0%
theregister.com: The Voice of Microsoft US?
It basically sold out
Yes, You Can Love and Adore Things Whilst Also Criticising Them
Is society being divided and groomed/primed to be resistant to constructive criticism?
Links 31/07/2025: War in Ukraine, Security News, and Cyberattacks Against Journalists on the Rise
Links for the day
Gemini Links 31/07/2025: Fake Money and Gemini Diaries
Links for the day
An Illusion and Cult Worship of Magnitude (Ubiquity as "Victory")
GNU has been around for over 40 years and it'll likely continue to exist for another 40 (in some form)
Google: From Pointing to Relevant Sites to Pointing to Social Control Media to Actually Parroting Social Control Media as "Facts"
Google has become a misinformation company
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 30, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, July 30, 2025