On Wednesday, December 15, the Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry of Estonia, Jonatan Vseviov opened a representative office of a new Estonian Honorary Consul in the Netherlands. Lutgarde Liezenberg-Kronemeijer became the new Honorary Consul of Estonia in Bilthoven.
According to Jonatan Vseviov, the opening of an honorary consul’s office in Bilthoven will further strengthen ties between Estonia and the Netherlands in the fields of business diplomacy, culture and education. “I am sincerely glad that the circle of Estonian honorary consuls in the Netherlands has such a professional new member. I am convinced that the long-term business experience of Liezenberg-Kronemeijer will help Estonian companies to establish new contacts in the Netherlands,” Vseviov said.
Lutgarde Liezenberg is the CEO of the intellectual property consulting company Novagraaf Group since 2009. It is a leading consulting and services company in its field, with 17 offices and 300 employees worldwide. Liezenberg was a partner at KPMG Ebbinge from 1999 to 2003 and from 1986 to 1999 she held various positions at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, including the position of the Vice President of Corporate Management and Organizational Development. Liezenberg holds a degree in law from the University of Groningen.
“Estonia has impressed me a lot, because despite its complicated history, the country has become one of the most innovative countries in Europe, where people know how to combine innovative thinking with resilience and perseverance. It is a great honor for me to serve such a country as an honorary consul,” Liezenberg said.
The Republic of Estonia has nearly two hundred honorary consuls worldwide who play an important role in representing Estonia’s interests. Honorary consuls are respected persons in a high social position in the host country who help the Estonian state reach the farthest corners of the world. Their main tasks are to provide consular services and consular assistance to Estonian citizens abroad and to promote economic relations by creating contacts for Estonian entrepreneurs. An honorary consul does not receive remuneration from the Estonian state for the performance of his or her duties.
The new Honorary Consul in Bilthoven will work in the provinces of Gelderland and Utrecht.
