Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte now has the path clear to become the next NATO Secretary General, after Romanian President Klaus Iohannis withdrew his candidacy on Thursday.
Mr. Iohannis informed the Atlantic Alliance allies that he was withdrawing from the race, and Bucharest therefore decided to support Mark Rutte, an official source in the Romanian capital said.
With this withdrawal of the last rival still in the running, nothing stands in the way of the arrival at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels of the 57-year-old Dutch leader, a veteran of European politics.
His appointment must, however, be formally ratified by the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s political decision-making body, during a meeting scheduled in principle for next week. He will then take over from Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg on 1er October for a four-year term.
Mr. Rutte will take the helm of NATO in a world full of political uncertainty, on both sides of the Atlantic, and in a Europe at war.
“He has a lot of experience as prime minister,” Jens Stoltenberg assured Tuesday, saying he was “certain” that the upcoming appointment of his successor would be a good thing “for all of us, for NATO and for myself “.
Mr. Stoltenberg, at the head of NATO since 2014, saw his initial mandate extended four times, despite his desire not to reappoint last year.
Mark Rutte should not be frightened by the prospect of remaining in office for a long time. A seasoned politician, this liberal has been head of the Dutch government for 14 years (in current affairs since the electoral victory of the far right in the Netherlands in November).
Renowned for his simplicity and frankness, the former Unilever executive was able to build an important network of relationships, including on the other side of the Atlantic.
Coaxing Trump
His supposed ability to coax Donald Trump also worked in his favor when deciding on the replacement of Mr. Stoltenberg, in the event that the American billionaire were to return to the White House.
During a meeting in 2018, the Dutch leader managed to convince him of the seriousness of the Europeans’ commitment to spending more on their defense, by assuring him of the determining role played by his tireless critics in the matter.
Since then, Donald Trump has confirmed the little regard he has for American engagement in Europe, and it will take a lot of the negotiator qualities attributed to the outgoing Mark Rutte to reason with him, if he were to be elected in November.
His talents as a diplomat allowed him to secure the support of the Allies, including those of Turkey and Hungary, although they were not enthusiastic about the idea of appointing a fourth Dutchman at the head of NATO.
Relations between the Netherlands and Turkey, execrable in the years 2017-2018, have since been normalized. Mr. Rutte went to Istanbul in April to seal this reconciliation.
As for the relationship with Budapest, the handshake Monday evening in Brussels between Mark Rutte and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban marked the end of tensions between the two men, and removed the main obstacle to his appointment as head of NATO .
Mark Rutte “confirmed” that if he obtained this post, Hungary would not be obliged to participate in NATO activities in Ukraine, Mr. Orban said on Tuesday. In this case, he added, “Hungary is ready to support him.”
Ukraine will obviously be the big story of Mr Rutte’s mandate. NATO is not at war with Russia, but provides 99% of military aid to kyiv.
The Netherlands has clearly committed itself to Ukraine since the Russian invasion of February 2022.
The Hague signed an agreement this year for two billion euros in military assistance over 10 years, later adding a further billion.
The Netherlands also spearheaded efforts to equip kyiv with F-16 fighter jets, a move described as “historic” by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The country led by Mark Rutte has been less eager to respect the commitment made in 2014 by NATO countries to devote at least 2% of their gross domestic product to military spending. However, the objective was achieved this year, conveniently.