After the election of 1967 Van Veen was appointed as State Secretary for the Interior in the Cabinet De Jong, taking office on 10 May 1967.

The Cabinet Biesheuvel I fell just one year later on 19 July 1972 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity with Van Veen taking over as Minister for Higher Education and Science Policy on 21 July 1972 until it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Biesheuvel II with Van Veen continuing as Minister of Education and Sciences and Minister for Higher Education and Science Policy, taking office on 9 August 1972.

In December 1974 Van Veen was nominated as Chairman of the Industry and Employers' association serving from 1 January 1974 until 1 November 1984.

Van Veen was nominated as an Extraordinary Member of the Council of State, serving from 1 February 1985 until 1 January 1993.

Van Veen remained active in the public sector and continued to occupied numerous seats as a nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards (Radio Netherlands Worldwide and the Centre for European Policy Studies) and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government (Public Pension Funds APB, Raad voor Cultuur, SEO Economic Research and the Social and Economic Council) .