Natalia Liane den Haan (born 24 August 1967) is a Dutch politician and former nonprofit director, who has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2021.
She was the managing director of LGBT rights organization COC Nederland from 2001 to 2004 and subsequently filled that same position at senior advocacy group ANBO.
[8] At the start of the 1990s, after having studied business administration at The Hague University of Applied Sciences for four years, she took a job as operations coordinator at a catering and party service company.
[12] Den Haan managed to put the COC's finances and membership records in order, but the organization's problems returned while she was on maternity leave.
[22] Under her leadership, ANBO moved powers from its chapters to its headquarters: its board was dissolved and Den Haan was given a new title (directeur-bestuurder) in July 2013.
[23] That led to the departure and expulsion of many volunteers in chapter managements, to the establishment of local alternative organizations, and to calls for Den Haan's resignation.
[29] The number of ANBO members decreased from 180,000 to 125,000 in the following months, causing the organization to lose its position as the largest Dutch interest group for seniors to the Catholic Unie KBO.
The party's leadership put Den Haan forward as their preferred lijsttrekker during a press conference in August after fourteen candidates had applied.
Five other people ran for the position including members of parliament Corrie van Brenk, who received 42% of the vote, and Léonie Sazias.
[49] Before her election, 50PLUS had opposed reforms of the pension system proposed by the cabinet, unions, and employers' associations, but Den Haan had supported them while she was ANBO director.
[49][50] After the election program was released, Den Haan called it a done deal and said that she wanted the party to be involved in working out the details of the reforms.
During the campaign, Den Haan explained that her party had abandoned its position that the retirement age should unconditionally return to 65 in order to finance an increase in the state pension.
[52] After the party's third candidate, Ellen Verkoelen, had criticized those comments, Den Haan to no effect called on her to withdraw her candidacy if she disagreed.
[55] The conflict had started during the campaign, and the board had written a letter with numerous complaints about Den Haan's leadership to all 50PLUS members in late April.
[55] Even though Den Haan left her party, she remained a parliamentary group as opposed to an independent House member and kept the same funding and speaking time during debates.
[58] To decrease her workload as an independent politician, Den Haan started cooperating with Sylvana Simons (BIJ1) and Caroline van der Plas (BBB), who also have a one-person group, while she mostly focussed on elderly policy and income development.
When it was indefinitely postponed in June 2022 as only four parties had nominated an MP to take part, Den Haan co-wrote an opinion piece in which she called it an unwise decision given that the pandemic had impacted all facets of society.
[68] When the fourth Rutte cabinet collapsed in July 2023 – triggering a snap election in November – Den Haan announced she would not seek a second term.
[69][70] Den Haan joined the board of directors of Zonnehuisgroep Vlaardingen, a local long-term healthcare provider, in November 2023, where she serves alongside Arjan in 't Veld.