Biography: Jakob Gijsbert (Jaap) de Hoop Scheffer (Amsterdam, 3 April 1948) is a Dutch former politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and former diplomat. He was party leader and parliamentary group leader in the House of Representatives from 1997 to 2001, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2002 to 2003, and Secretary-General of NATO from 2004 to 2009. In December 2018, he was appointed Minister of State.