Romania gives up
Dutchman Rutte can become NATO Secretary General
The outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte can become NATO Secretary General. Photo
© Omar Havana/AP
Mark Rutte should have been chosen as the next NATO Secretary General months ago. However, one ally in particular has stubbornly resisted – until now.
The path to the appointment of After months of blockade, the nomination of Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO is now free. Romania was the last member state to announce that it would give up its opposition to the outgoing Dutch head of government being given the top post.
Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis withdrew his own candidacy, the presidential office announced on Thursday in Bucharest. At the same time, Romania now supports Rutte’s candidacy, it said.
Shortly before Romania’s decision, Hungary and Slovakia also gave in on Tuesday. For a long time, these two countries, along with Romania and Turkey, were the only NATO states that had blocked the appointment of 57-year-old Rutte as Jens Stoltenberg’s successor.
Hungary fears expansion of war
Hungary recently gave up its resistance after Rutte agreed to Hungarian demands. One of the issues was that Hungary wanted to be sure that it would not be pressured into participating in a planned NATO mission to coordinate arms deliveries to Ukraine. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government fears that the project could push the alliance into a direct confrontation with Russia.
In alliance circles, the reason for the hopeless candidacy of the Romanian Iohannis from the start was his uncertain professional future. It was assumed that Iohannis was primarily interested in being offered some other top international position as an alternative. The Romanian’s second term in office ends in the autumn and he will then no longer be able to stand for election in Romania.
Stoltenberg contract runs until October
The current contract of the incumbent NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg runs until October 1st. He has announced several times in the past that he wants to give up the post. Last summer, however, attempts by member states to agree on a successor failed again. At the time, possible candidates to succeed Stoltenberg included Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the then British Defense Minister Ben Wallace.
Stoltenberg has held the top job for almost ten years now. This makes him the second longest-serving Secretary General in the history of the alliance. The longest-serving Secretary General was previously the Dutchman Joseph Luns, who served from 1971 to 1984.
Chancellor publicly supported Rutte in February
A consensus is required within the defense alliance for the appointment of a new Secretary General. This means that none of the current 32 NATO states may raise an objection to the candidate. Chancellor Olaf Scholz publicly backed Rutte in February. Additional support also came from the USA and Great Britain. Alliance circles said on Thursday that it was very likely that Rutte could be officially presented as Stoltenberg’s successor as early as next week.
The 57-year-old is considered to be an extremely experienced foreign policy maker. He was most recently head of government of the Netherlands for almost 14 years, longer than anyone before him and thus one of the longest-serving in the EU.
Big tasks and a Trump scenario
The main task of the Secretary General of NATO is to coordinate the political coordination processes between the Allies and to ensure that consensus can be reached even on difficult issues. Because he can also make suggestions for action, he plays a crucial role, especially in times of crisis or conflict. The Secretary General also represents the defense alliance at the international level and, as the highest administrative official, heads the NATO headquarters.
The new job will be particularly challenging for Rutte if Donald Trump returns to the White House after the US presidential election in November. Statements by the Republican in the past have raised doubts as to whether the US would fully adhere to its commitment to assistance under his leadership.
During his term in office from 2017 to 2021, he had repeatedly complained about what he considered to be too low defense spending by European allies and at times even threatened to withdraw the United States from the alliance.
Rutte’s domestic political rival Geert Wilders congratulated Rutte on his upcoming appointment on Thursday. “The Rutte era ends in the Netherlands and begins at NATO,” the right-wing politician told the Dutch agency ANP. “Both are good, and I wish him every success.”