Our office

The EU Office of the Northern Netherlands is an in-house office representing the cities Groningen, Leeuwarden, Assen and Emmen in the EU. The EU Office is situated at the House of the Dutch Provinces in Brussels. We represent the interests of the cities and help to develop innovative projects with international partners in the EU. The goal is to find partners from other regions and cities, connect them to our projects and discover new developments and projects which can contribute to our economic challenges. This way we want to improve the competitiveness, and the development of businesses in the Northern Netherlands.

Our team

Pieter Faber

Pieter Faber is the head of the Cities Northern Netherlands EU Office, founded in May 2015. Pieter graduated from Utrecht University and holds an MSc in Social Geography and Planning (2003). Between 2003 and 2004 he studied public administration at Leiden University. During his career, Pieter has been active in various local governments and the business world. Before his job in Brussels, he was head of economic affairs at the municipality of Assen. Pieter Faber is member of the management board of the European network ERRIN and chair of the Smart Cities and Communities and the Energy working groups. Additionally, he is leading the Small and Medium-sized Cities Platform within the POLIS network. Pieter is also the chair of the City Representatives within the PED Stakeholder group and the Steering Committee of the SET-Plan PED programme.

Pieter Faber

Angèle Liaigre

Angèle is EU project advisor for the EU office, with a more specific focus on circular (bio)economy, climate adaptation, digitalization, culture, tourism, and regional innovation valleys. In 2019, she completed a two-years Master’s programme in European governance, offered by University College Dublin and Utrecht University. After graduation, she started working for the representation in Brussels of the French region Pays de la Loire, where her attachment for local development started. She started working for our EU office in April 2023.

Joshua Beuving

Joshua Beuving is our intern in the EU office. Having graduated in 2022 at the University of Kent in Politics and International Relations, he is now finishing his degree in European Affairs at the University of Kent. He started working at our office in January 2024.