The Dutchman Mark Rutte will be the next secretary general of NATO. The withdrawal of the candidacy of the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, this Thursday, guarantees unanimous support for the acting Dutch prime minister to lead the Atlantic Alliance, in one of the most tumultuous moments in its history. Rutte’s appointment must now be formally approved by the leaders of the 32 member countries, including Spain. The 56-year-old Dutchman, who has led his country since 2010, will replace the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, who after successive extensions has been in office for a decade.
Rutte will lead the Atlantic Alliance at one of the most delicate moments for its members: with Russia’s war in Ukraine dragging on, the growing threat to Europe from the Kremlin – traditional and hybrid -, the challenge from China and concern about a hypothetical arrival to the White House of the populist Republican Donald Trump, who in his previous term questioned NATO’s mutual security commitment – and a few months ago also hinted that he would not respect it. All these challenges on the horizon could lead to a drastic change in the organization.
Romanian Iohannis reported this Thursday, during the meeting of the country’s Supreme Defense Council, that he informed NATO allies, at the end of last week, of the withdrawal of his candidacy in the race for the position of secretary general. of the organization, according to the Presidential Administration in a statement. “President Klaus Iohannis asked Council members to comment on Mark Rutte’s candidacy for NATO Secretary General, and they declared themselves in favor of Romania’s support for the Dutch Prime Minister’s candidacy,” he said. .
Orbán Reserves
The acting prime minister of the Netherlands has been campaigning for months to take the top position in NATO, where he will be the fourth Dutchman to head it in its 75-year history. But he had been complicated by the Hungarian blockade and the candidacy of the Romanian Iohannis, when it seemed that everything was done and he had around twenty supporters. On Tuesday, Slovakia, one of the three countries that remained to support it, guaranteed its support in exchange for stating that the Alliance would protect Slovak airspace. He was followed by the Hungarian national populist Viktor Orbán, after Rutte promised to fulfill the promises that Stoltenberg had made to him, such as that no Hungarian funds would be dedicated to programs related to Ukraine.
That the Norwegian’s promise was kept was obvious, but Orbán wanted it in writing. Hours after receiving that guarantee, the Hungarian leader has spread Rutte’s letter on social networks, as a great victory for his electorate. In the letter, the Dutchman also apologizes for some comments in the past about Hungary. The withdrawal of Iohannis – who is speculated to be pursuing another senior European position – from the race for the job now gives him the last bit of support he required.
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NATO allies will give the final green light to Rutte during the NATO summit in July, a very symbolic meeting, as the 75 years of the organization will be commemorated. Stoltenberg’s term expires in October. The Dutch politician will leave the Government of his country in the coming weeks, now that a new coalition Executive has been agreed upon following the electoral victory of the far right. He will be replaced by the technocrat with a socialist past, Dick Schoof.
The election of the liberal Rutte, an experienced leader with good relations with the United States and a tendency to look at budgets, has satisfied many allies. They see it as a very good option to continue guaranteeing the support of member countries for Ukraine and to maintain a policy that avoids any type of escalation with the Kremlin. He also looks favorably on a hypothetical return of Trump, whose priority is for allies to increase their defense spending and disgraces those who do not manage to dedicate the 2% of GDP agreed in 2014 to that chapter. Rutte has increased it in the Netherlands from just over 1% – in 2022, its spending was 1.44% – to 2.05%; especially since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Spain, for its part, this year has fallen to last position, dedicating 1.28%.
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