Els de Groen
OfficeMember of the European Parliament for the Netherlands
Term start2004
Term end2009
Birth nameElly Kouwenhoven
Birth date23 December 1949
Birth placeThe Hague, Netherlands
Death date19 October 2025 (aged 75)
Party
ProfessionJournalist · writer · politician

Elly de Groen-Kouwenhoven (ˈɛli də ɣruŋ ˈkʌuə(n)ˌɦoːvə(n);[a] ; 23 December 1949 – 19 October 2025), generally known as Els de Groen, was a Dutch author and politician, who served as a Member of the European Parliament 2004–2009. She was a member of Europe Transparent, which sat with the Greens/EFA party group. As an MEP, she was a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Petitions, as well as a member of the delegation to the EU–Bulgaria Joint Parliamentary Committee and a substitute for the delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Europe. De Groen died on 19 October 2025, at the age of 75.[1]

Career

  • Senior secondary teaching certificate
  • French teacher (1970–1975)
  • Writer, essayist and commentator
  • Literary reviewer, children's books (1985–1992)
  • Editor of the Algemeen Dagblad's children's newspaper (1986–1989)
  • Worked for 20 years on news magazines
  • Author of various works of fiction and non-fiction for adults
  • Her work over 20 years placed a strong emphasis on Eastern Europe
  • Unpaid adviser to the Dutch foundation 'Roma-Emancipatie' in Oss (from 2002)
  • Various literary awards

Notes

  1. ^ Groen in isolation: ˈɣrun.

References

  1. ^ "Auteur Els de Groen (1949-2025) overleden" [Author Els de Groen (1949–2025) died] (in Dutch). Uitgeverij In de Knipscheer. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.