4 February 2021 – As 2020 marked the final year of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, the LRE Foundation is already looking towards the future and the 80th anniversary on the horizon. Mr. Ed Kronenburg will join our mission as the new chairman of the Foundation’s Supervisory Board. He has been appointed in the context of reorganization of the Foundation’s governance and board, towards a more international scope of action (further information about the composition of the board can be found here).
Ed Kronenburg has a distinguished career as a leading diplomat for the Netherlands. He was the Dutch Ambassador to Paris and Beijing and served as the Secretary General of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has also held top positions at international organisations such as the OECD, the European Commission, and NATO. He also served as Grand Master of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix. He has since retired from the diplomatic corps, and is currently a columnist, public speaker, member of the Advisory Council on International Affairs, and board member of other organisations.
Ed Kronenburg about his new role: “It is an honor to be associated with the LRE Foundation and especially the Liberation Route Europe initiative. The activities it undertakes and it promotes are of great historical and cultural value for all generations, bringing together young and old from various countries to convey the all-important lesson that history has taught us: the road to the future can and should only be travelled together, in harmony and peace, to confront the challenges we collectively face.”
Rémi Praud, Managing Director LRE Foundation about this appointment: “We are honored and delighted to welcome Mr. Ed Kronenburg as our new chairman. The international experience and expertise he has built up in many areas over the years will be highly valuable to the LRE Foundation’s future. It is a reunion of sorts, as he was closely involved in the organisation of the official international launch of the Liberation Route Europe, in Normandy, in June 2014, as the Dutch Ambassador to France.”
Together with its members and partners in twelve countries, the LRE Foundation is dedicated to preserving and valorising the tangible and intangible cultural heritage related to World War II, its memory and meaning. Two key LREF initiatives are Europe Remembers – the platform for remembrance events and travel throughout Europe – and the development of the Liberation Route Europe, the certified Cultural Route following in the footsteps of the Allied advance at the end of WWII.
- Press Release (PDF)
