Current Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg has been elected to continue in his position until October 2024. The last time his position was extended for a year was a year ago. The representatives of the member countries decided on the matter, and the continuation will be blessed next week at the Vilnius Summit.
The news has been anticipated for a few weeks already, and today NATO announced the matter with a precious little press release.
Stoltenberg says in the press release that he is honored to continue as Secretary General of NATO.
– The bond between Europe and North America has guaranteed freedom and security for 75 years, and in a world that is becoming more dangerous, the alliance is more important than ever, Stoltenberg said.
NATO countries have been satisfied with Stoltenberg, and there is no desire to change the leader in the midst of a crisis. Last year, Stoltenberg was supposed to take over as governor of Norway’s central bank, but he bowed to NATO countries’ request for an extension. The same thing happened now.
The 64-year-old Stoltenberg is NATO’s second longest-serving secretary general. He is also a two-time former Prime Minister of Norway.
Stoltenberg has piloted NATO in a tightening situation
After Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, Stoltenberg has been in a difficult situation as Secretary General. The NATO countries have supported Ukraine and strengthened their own defense, but at the same time tried not to escalate the situation even further.
Stoltenberg has managed to handle the task with a moderate and conciliatory approach.
The Secretary General of NATO leads the meetings of the NATO Council, i.e. the representatives of the member countries. He also represents NATO, talks with member countries and reconciles views.
When Stoltenberg’s term in NATO began in 2014, the West’s relations with Russia became tense after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. This was also the beginning of NATO’s transformation: it returned to its basic mission, i.e. to defend allied countries against threats from the outside.
There have been other challenges to Stoltenberg’s tenure. Donald Trump’s during the presidency, his demands and comments to other NATO countries tightened the atmosphere. Turkey, on the other hand, has behaved demandingly, for example, when handling the membership applications of Finland and Sweden.
Stoltenberg had been in difficult places even before NATO, as Prime Minister of Norway. In 2011, for example, he had to face mass murder, where a far-right terrorist murdered 77 people in Oslo and on the island of Utøya.
You can’t apply for the position of general secretary, you just choose the right one
The 64-year-old Norwegian continues because he has been favored by the member countries and because no suitable successor has been found so far. Stoltenberg’s continuation was supported by major allied countries. In particular, behind this was the largest NATO country, the United States, the Norwegian NRK tells.
So what do you want from the Secretary General of NATO? First of all, he should be an experienced leader, preferably a former prime minister or president.
In addition, the Secretary General should be from a country that is active in the development of its defense and spends enough money on defense that, for example, is used by others as well.
Geography is also important: the current Norwegian secretary-general was preceded by a Dane, so the successor could be from somewhere other than the Nordic countries. The candidate should also be suitable for major NATO countries.
There is no application for the position of Secretary General of NATO, and there is no specific process for the appointment. There are no official candidates either. The influential NATO countries end up with a name in their discussions, after which the Council of Ambassadors of the NATO countries appoints the Secretary General.
Danish, British, Baltic…
Possible names that were floated this year in recent weeks were, for example, the Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Fredriksen and the British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace. Fredriksen is Danish, like the Secretary General who preceded Stoltenberg Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Wallace lacked head of state experience.
President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen did not want to run for office.
Also from the prime minister of Estonia, an active member of NATO’s eastern border Kaja from Kallas was talked about, as well as the former president Kersti from Kaljulaid. Several other leaders of the Baltic countries were also mentioned.
Denmark’s candidate was opposed by Poland, which wanted a new secretary-general from the Baltics. This again did not happen to the big member states.
Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte and the Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez were not available.
The end result is that Stoltenberg continues. Next spring, it will be 75 years since NATO was founded, and in the summer of 2024 there will be another summit to celebrate this. At that time, NATO will probably get a new Secretary General.
The search for the next secretary-general coincides with a time when the European Union’s nomination roulette after the European Parliament elections is also running at its peak. A suitable candidate must be found for the president of the EU Commission, the EU High Representative, i.e. the commissioner responsible for foreign policy, the speaker of the European Parliament – and the Secretary General of NATO.