The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officially appointed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as its head on Wednesday June 26. The ambassadors of the thirty-two NATO countries endorsed this appointment during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, the political governing body of the Alliance.
The path was clear for Mr. Rutte after last week’s withdrawal of the candidacy of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
Mr Rutte, 57, is expected to take up his post as secretary general on 1is October, replacing the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, appointed in 2014 and whose mandate was renewed four times.
While Mr. Rutte had announced, in the summer of 2023, his resignation from the Dutch government – he has since led a government of current affairs –, he appeared from the fall as the ideal candidate to replace Mr. Stoltenberg. Although he is not a specialist in defense issues, his longevity in power, his interpersonal skills and his knowledge of compromise have been all assets.
He will lead the Atlantic Alliance in a world in full political uncertainty, on both sides of the Atlantic, and in a Europe at war.
In addition to the conflict in Ukraine, he could have to deal with a new presidency of Donald Trump, if the American billionaire, very critical of the role of NATO, were to return to the White House after the elections in November.
More information to come.
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