Gert Jan Koopman

Gert Jan Koopman (born 1966), also written as Gert-Jan Koopman, is a high-ranking European civil servant from the Netherlands. He is currently the Director General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission in Brussels.

Early life and career Koopman studied economics, Latin and Greek at the University of Amsterdam. He started his career as a lecturer in economics at the Utrecht University. He worked at the CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Advice.

European Commission Koopman joined the European Commission in 1991, as official at the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs.

Koopman was appointed Director General for Budget in 2018. In this role he was responsible for the design of the €800 billion Next Generation EU recovery plan, aimed at re-establishing ecoonmic growth in the EU after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, Koopman took the position of Director General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations . Koopman toured the region to discuss the growth plan with the region’s state representatives.

In his role, Koopman is responsible for negotiations with Ukraine on the accession of the war-torn country to the European Union following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Koopman has insisted in his discussion with the Ukrainian government on anti-corruption reforms in the country.

Personal life

Koopman lives with his family in Brussels.