Eelco Eerenberg, in charge of housing and planning for Utrecht city council since 2019, has been sworn in as junior finance minister in the new Dutch government.

Eelco Eerenberg. Photo: Utrecht city council

Eerenberg, 41, was responsible for major residential developments in the Utrecht region, including the Rijnenburg and Groot Merwede projects

Rijnenburg involves creating a new city district with up to 25,000 homes, which is currently at the planning stage. Groot Merwede is another major city expansion zone alongside the A12 motorway.

He was also a regular visitor to Expo Real in Munich as part of Utrecht’s participation in the Holland Metropole alliance and represented the city on the World Health Organisation’s European healthy cities group.

New role

Eerenberg, who represents the Liberal Democratic party D66 in the new coalition government, was twice named young local government official of the year by magazine Binnenlands Bestuur.

As yet it is unclear what Eerenberg’s specific role in the finance ministry will be, but some insiders suggest he may be charged with developing a new asset tax strategy.

The housing minister in the new Dutch government is former airforce general Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan. She has the task of with tackling the housing shortage and encouraging international investors to return to the residential sector.