Netherlands Ruud Lubbers obituary Long-serving prime minister of the Netherlands who played a vital role in the Maastricht treaty Ruud Lubbers in 2005. But Lubbers was the honest broker, working hard in the background to facilitate agreement on radical proposals which even a sceptical British prime minister, John Major, could accept. Rudolphus Franciscus Marie Lubbers was born in Rotterdam, the son of Paulus, a wealthy engineering contractor, and his wife, Wilhelmine (nee Van Laack). The prime minister, Dries van Agt, resigned soon afterwards and Lubbers took his place. • Rudolphus Franciscus Marie Lubbers, politician and statesman, born 7 May 1939; died 14 February 2018

Source: The Guardian February 19, 2018 13:07 UTC