Rutte’s NATO Leadership Bid Confronts Eastern European Demands
(Bloomberg) -- Mark Rutte’s bid to lead NATO faces a fresh hurdle with some Eastern European nations pressing the Dutch prime minister for increased representation for the region among the military alliance’s top level positions.
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Rutte has emerged as the clear favorite to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. But he’s yet to win backing from four countries — Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey — according to a person familiar with the discussions.
To succeed, Dutch prime minister must secure the unanimous support of all 32 NATO member states. He’s already won backing from the US, Germany and the UK, among the alliance’s most influential members.
The role of the secretary general will be critical in the years ahead, as doubts loom about the US’s commitment to the NATO and the potential election of President Donald Trump.
Countries from the eastern flank have raised the issue of geographic representation in talks with Dutch prime minister, who has assured them that it’s on his radar, according to another person, who declined to be named because the talks are private. A spokesperson for Rutte declined to comment.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a sense of vindication among many of the NATO’s eastern members, who have long warned of the Kremlin’s belligerence. They now seek more influence in the alliance’s decision-making.
Among the more than a dozen top level NATO staff positions, only Stoltenberg’s deputy is from eastern Europe — Mircea Geoana of Romania. Stoltenberg, a Norwegian, was preceded by Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark and another Dutchman, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
Poland views Rutte’s candidacy positively, but expects that a Pole will secure one of the key positions in the next secretary-general’s inner circle, according to a government official who asked not to be identified.
Turkey is keen to ensure that the next NATO secretary general won’t have a bias toward the alliance’s European Union members. Meanwhile, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto last month ruled out his country’s support for Rutte because in the past he “has tried to bring Hungary down to its knees.”
More Empathy
NATO countries geographically closer to Russia have long maintained higher defense spending as a percentage of economic output than many of their western counterparts. Eastern European leaders have also taken a more assertive role in Europe, calling for tougher sanctions on Moscow and more aide to Kyiv.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, the only other candidate for the job, said in February “it would be inadmissible that none of the top jobs being discussed this year would be occupied by someone from east Europe.”
Despite the concerns about representation, Iohannis has so far failed to win over any of Rutte’s backers. And with Estonia and Lithuania this week endorsing the outgoing Dutch leader, that’s adding pressure on Romania to eventually cave.
The U.S. and other big countries backing Rutte had hoped to confirm him as Stoltenberg’s successor at a gathering of foreign ministers this week. But Romania’s surprise move to put forward Iohannis as a candidate has delayed the process, even as many officials say the candidacy has come too late to change the backing behind Rutte.
Allies are hoping to finalize the process well before leaders meet in Washington in July. But with the four nations still holding out, the discussions in the coming weeks could get tense.
“We expected more empathy on the part of the candidates toward the demands of the countries in the eastern wing of NATO,” Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said on Thursday.
--With assistance from Daniel Hornak, Piotr Skolimowski and Aaron Eglitis.
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