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Bas Eickhout

Bas Eickhout is a Dutch politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 until his resignation on 20 May 2026. He is a member of the GreenLeft, part of the European Green Party.

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Bas Eickhout
MEP
Official portrait, 2024
Co-president of the Greens–European Free Alliance
In office
16 July 2024 – 20 May 2026
Serving with Terry Reintke
Preceded by
Member of the European Parliament
In office
14 July 2009 – 20 May 2026
ConstituencyNetherlands
Personal details
Born (1976-10-08) 8 October 1976
Groesbeek, Netherlands
PartyDutch:
GroenLinks
EU:
European Green Party
Children1
Radboud University
Websitewww.baseickhout.eu

Bas Eickhout (born 8 October 1976) is a Dutch politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 until his resignation on 20 May 2026. He is a member of the GreenLeft, part of the European Green Party.

Education and early career

Eickhout was born in 1976 in Groesbeek, Gelderland,1 and he attended high school at the Cobbenhagen College in Tilburg. Between 1994 and 2000, he studied chemistry and environmental science at Radboud University in Nijmegen. During his studies, Eickhout was an intern at research information centers in Nijmegen and in the United States. He also served as chairman in the Nijmegen Association of Chemistry Students Sigma,2 later a member of the Nijmegen University Council.34

Since 2000, Eickhout has worked as a researcher at the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. He worked on several projects which had to do with transnational environmental problems such as climate change, and he was the institute's spokesperson on the sustainability of biofuels.5 He also worked for the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).4

Political career

Introduction video of Bas Eickhout.

Between 2008 and 2009, Eickhout was a member of the committee chaired by Bram van Ojik which wrote the new party platform.6 He is a member of the GreenLeft delegation to the European Green Party.7

Before the 2009 European Parliament election, Eickhout was one of five candidates for the top position on the GreenLeft list. Other contenders were Senator Tineke Strik, Amsterdam city counselor Judith Sargentini, former MEP Alexander de Roo, and Niels van den Berge, assistant to Kathalijne Buitenweg. Eickhout campaigned on environmental issues.8

With 25% of the votes, he lost to Judith Sargentini.9 His candidacy for the party list was supported by former MPs Arie van den Brand and Wijnand Duyvendak.10

After his election to the European Parliament, Eickhout became a member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, and substitute for the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.11 In this capacity, he represented the Parliament at the 2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Warsaw,12 the 2014 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Lima,13 and the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.14 He has also served as the Parliament's rapporteur on the EU's target for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions (2011),15 the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (2014),16 renewable energy rules (2017),17 sustainable finance (2019)1819 and CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles (2024).20

Eickhout is also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals.21

On 24 November 2018, Eickhout was elected as one of two leading candidates of the European Greens for the 2019 European Parliament election alongside Ska Keller.22 Under his leadership, GreenLeft won three seats, up from two in 2014.23 Both Keller and Eickhout later became the Green candidates for the office of President of the European Commission.24 He subsequently served as deputy chairman of the Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) group, under the leadership of co-chairmen Keller and Philippe Lamberts.25

Since 2021, Eickout has been part of the Parliament's delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Assembly, which provides parliamentary oversight over the implementation of the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.26

Eickhout was chosen as the leading candidate on the shared GroenLinks–PvdA list for the 2024 European Parliament election after he had been nominated by the boards of both parties.27 The European Green Party later chose him and Terry Reintke to steer its campaign for the election.28 Eickhout was a proponent of creating a European fund worth one percent of its GDP to invest in the industrial sector in order to increase the EU's competitiveness.29 GroenLinks–PvdA received a plurality of eight seats in the Netherlands, and Eickhout received a fourth term.30 He became his party's spokesperson for nature, environment, and agriculture, and he started serving as co-president of the Greens/EFA alongside Reintke.3132

On 20 May 2026, Eickhout announced resigning from his position as MEP with immediate effect citing "I have had relationships that were not appropriate for my role", adding to a statement from his party that the group had taken "allegations of breaches of the code of conduct very seriously."3334

Personal life

As of 2024, Eickhout resided in both Utrecht and Brussels. He has a partner and a daughter from a previous relationship.4 He is currently in a relationship with Lena Schilling, an Austrian Green Party MEP, who is 24 years younger than him. According to a party spokesperson, the relationship was made public to avoid conflicts of interest.3536

Recognition

In December 2020, Eickhout received the Environment award at The Parliament Magazine's annual MEP Awards.37

Electoral history

Electoral history of Bas Eickhout
Year Body Party Pos. Votes Result Ref.
Party seats Individual
2024 European Parliament GroenLinks–PvdA 1 676,268 8 Won 30
Bibliography

Bibliography

  • Eickhout, Bas (2016). Klimaatmores: Radicaal naar een andere norm [Climate mores: Radically to a different norm] (in Dutch). Rotterdam: Lemniscaat. ISBN 9789047708032.
  • —————— (2024). Groen realisme: Strijdbaar voor een groene economie [Green realism: Fighting for a green economy] (in Dutch). Rotterdam: Lemniscaat. ISBN 9789047716778.
References

References

  1. "Home | Bas EICKHOUT | Leden | Europees Parlement". www.europarl.europa.eu (in Dutch). 10 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  2. "Oude Besturen". sigma.science.ru.nl (in Dutch). 14 December 2008. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011.
  3. "Wie is Bas?". Bas Eickhout Official Website (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 14 December 2008.
  4. Brandemann, Ilse (12 April 2024). "Met Europarlementariër Eickhout door de Brusselse wandelgangen. 'Ik wil rechtse huisjes omver schoppen'" [Through the halls of Brussels with MEP Eickhout: 'I want to destroy right-wing dreams']. Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  5. "Biodiesel in vervoer schaadt milieu". NRC (in Dutch). 17 June 2009. Archived from the original on 27 February 2009.
  6. "Bas Eickhout". Groen Links (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 17 April 2009.
  7. "Europese Groene Partij". Bas Eickhout Official Website (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 27 September 2009.
  8. "Visie en Standputin". Bas Eickhout Official Website (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 23 February 2009.
  9. "Referendum". Groen Links (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 19 March 2009.
  10. "Wij Steunen Bas". Bas Eickhout Official Website (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 12 March 2009.
  11. "GroenLinks dik tevreden over verworven posities in Europarlement". GroenLinks (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 9 January 2014.
  12. "Climate change: EP delegation to attend Warsaw summit". European Parliament. 15 November 2013.
  13. Keating, Dave (4 December 2014). "MEPs prepare to join climate talks". Politico Europe.
  14. "European Parliament Delegation to COP26, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 9-13 November 2021" (PDF). European Parliament. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  15. Rankin, Jennifer (23 February 2021). "MEPs to fight over boosting the EU's emissions cut to 30%". Politico Europe.
  16. Keating, Dave (17 September 2014). "MEPs may challenge free ETS permits". Politico Europe.
  17. Stefanini, Sara (19 June 2017). "Biofuel options for aviation running low". Politico Europe.
  18. Kahn, Mehreen; Hook, Leslie (5 December 2019). "EU gives green light to rule book on sustainable investments". Financial Times.
  19. Ekblom, Jonas (17 December 2019). "EU lawmakers tweak proposed rules on sustainable investments". WS.
  20. Kate Abnett (10 April 2024), EU Parliament approves law to slash trucks' carbon footprint Reuters.
  21. "Members". Animal Welfare Intergroup. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019.
  22. "European Greens elect leading duo". European Greens. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019.
  23. Schaart, Eline (23 May 2019). "Timmermans' Labor wins Dutch EU election: exit poll". Politico Europe.
  24. Blasina, Niki (11 March 2019). "Contenders emerge in race for the EU's top job". Financial Times.
  25. "Greens/EFA group positions elected". European Greens (Press release). 12 June 2019.
  26. von der Burchard, Hans; de La Baume, Maïa (5 October 2021). "European Parliament approves new joint EU-UK Brexit assembly". Politico Europe.
  27. De Vries, Daan (30 January 2014). "Bas Eickhout met 96 procent van de stemmen verkozen tot lijsttrekker GroenLinks-PvdA bij Europese verkiezingen" [Bas Eickhout chosen as GroenLinks–PvdA leading candidate in European elections by 96 percent of the vote]. De Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  28. Guillot, Louise (3 February 2024). "Greens pick veteran MEP duo to lead EU campaign". Politico Europe.
  29. Eickhout, Bas (7 May 2024). "'Als je alle Europese industrie overeind wilt houden, verspil je heel veel geld'" ['If you want to maintain all of Europe's industry, you will waste a lot of money']. Het Financieele Dagblad (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Ria Cats and Mathijs Schiffers. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  30. "Proces-verbaal centraal stembureau uitslag verkiezing Europees Parlement Model P22-1" [Central electoral council report of the results of the election of the European Parliament Model P22-1] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 19 June 2024. pp. 11, 12, 35. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  31. "Our MEPs". Greens–European Free Alliance. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  32. "Bas Eickhout". GroenLinks–PvdA (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  33. "Top Green MEP quits Brussels". Euractiv. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  34. "Greens chief Bas Eickhout quits EU Parliament after acknowledging 'relationships'". Politico. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  35. red. "Neue Liebe für Lena Schilling – Er ist 24 Jahre älter | Heute.at". www.heute.at (in German). Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  36. "REGIO on the rocks". POLITICO. 13 May 2026. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  37. Johnson, Brian (2 December 2020). "MEP Awards 2020: Reaction and comment from our winners". The Parliament Magazine. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
External links