Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst( born March 18 1937) is a Dutch politician, a member of D66, a Dutch political party, and has been state secretary of foreign affairs, minister of agriculture, minister of economical affairs (current) and and president of the second chamber fraction of D66. Journalists gave him the nickname Brilly the kid. He is also the father of the Dutch princess Laurentien Brinkhorst

Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst was born in Zwolle. After getting his gymnasium-B-diploma he studied law at the Rijksuniversiteit Leiden in Leiden (doctoral examn in 1959). He got his M.A. in Public Law and Government at the Columbia University in New York. After that he worked at Shearman & Sterling in New York.

He worked from 1962 - from 1965 as director - at the Europe-institute at the Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, where he became lector in 1965 as well. In the period 1967-1973 he was highteacher at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in Groningen.

May 11 1973 he became state secratary of foreign affairs in the cabinet Den Uyl.

In 1977 he was member of the second chamber of the Dutch parliament for D66 again, and in 1981 even as president of the fraction. In 1987 he became head of the delegation of the commission of European communities in Japan.

In 1994 dr.Brinkhorst became member of the European Parliament and was that untill 1999.

Dr.Brinkhorst was also member of the Provinciale Staten of the province Groningen for D66, member of the adviseborder World Recources Institute, Washington DC, member curatorium Nederlands Economisch Instituut (Dutch economical institute), exceptional highteacher international environmental law at the university Leiden, member Board of Directors Salzburg Seminar, member Board of Directors International Institute of Sustaineble Development, and guesthighteacher International environmental law at the university of Lausanne.

The 8th of june 1999he became minister of agriculture, environmental control and fishery in the cabinet Kok-II. Afterwards (2002) he became Adviser European Affairs at NautaDulith in Brussels and highteacher Transnational and European Governace at the Universiteit van Tilburg. After the electoral defeat off D'66 he became minister of economical affairs in the Second Balkenende cabinet.