He is a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal, which is part of the European People's Party, and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs and its Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection.
He is also a member of the delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and a substitute for the delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula.
He obtained a doctorate in competition law from Freiburg (1976–1978) He was Secretary for international affairs (1978–1992) and secretary for matters relating to company law (1992–1997) with the VNO (Confederation of Netherlands Industry).
From 1997 to 1999, he was a company lawyer with VNO-NCW (Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers) (1997–1999).
He was involved in various activities with the CDA, acting as Chairman of the Wassenaar section, a member of the national working party on international cooperation, and a member of the CDA's Foreign Affairs Committee.