Who is NATO's New Leader Rutte?
On 2 July, the new Dutch government took office, and former Prime Minister Mark Rutte began preparing to assume the role of NATO Secretary-General, a position he will take up in October this year. NATO member state ambassadors agreed on this appointment on 26 June, and it will be formally approved at the Alliance summit next week.
Mark Rutte (57 years old) led the Dutch government for 14 years (since October 2010) – an incredible feat in modern European politics and a record in the history of the Netherlands.
On 30 June, during a 12-minute speech marking his departure as Prime Minister, Mark Rutte made it abundantly clear that he would like to see the Netherlands as one of the leaders of the EU and NATO, and he also called for continued support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
“It is extremely important that our country remains integrated within the European Union and NATO. Together we are stronger than we are alone. Especially now,” Rutte said, sitting at his desk in his office in The Hague. He reaffirmed his stance on supporting Ukraine, “for peace there and security here.”
The response to Russian aggression is a particularly sensitive topic for the Netherlands due to the tragedy of flight MH17 in 2014, when the plane was shot down by a Russian missile. This flight was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Russian missile attack resulted in the deaths of all 298 passengers and crew, including 196 Dutch citizens. In his speech, Rutte described this tragedy as “possibly the most stark and emotional event” during his tenure. In 2022, a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian for their involvement in the downing of the Boeing 777.
The new government was sworn in on 2 July, the result of elections held in November 2023. In these elections, the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) led by the far-right anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders (60 years old) won the most seats in parliament. PVV secured 37 out of the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament. However, it could not immediately form a governing coalition. It took almost six months of negotiations. During this time, the country was run by Rutte’s government, formed from the previous elections.
However, the coalition that previously managed to gather a majority had only 41 seats this time: Rutte’s liberal-conservative VVD (People's Party for Freedom and Democracy) won 20 seats, the centrist social party Democrats 66 secured 9 seats, the Christian Democratic Appeal party won 5 seats, and the Christian Union, with a Christian-democratic focus, gained 3 seats.
This time, the coalition formed around Wilders’ far-right PVV. It included the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD, 20 seats), the locomotive of the previous coalition under Mark Rutte's leadership. Additionally, the New Social Contract (NSC, right-centrists, 20 seats) and the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB, agrarian right-populist party, 7 seats) joined the coalition. Altogether, the new coalition controls 84 seats out of 150 in parliament.
This configuration forced Geert Wilders to move towards the centre in his efforts, and he even gave up his claims for the post of Prime Minister. After several rounds of negotiations, Dick Schoof was appointed as Prime Minister. Schoof is a technocrat and professional civil servant who served as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice and Security for the past four years, during the last two Rutte governments.
It is highly anticipated that the new Dutch government will continue its robust support for Ukraine, despite Geert Wilders having previously expressed pro-Russian views. It is important to note that the Netherlands leads a NATO coalition responsible for delivering critically important F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Considering Rutte’s personal stance and the significant influence of his VVD party within the ruling coalition, there are hopes that the Netherlands will maintain its leadership in the “F-16 coalition” and its overall support for Ukraine.
Who is Schoof? He is notable for both positive and negative reasons. For instance, in 2015, Dutch media reported that Schoof attempted to influence the investigation into the MH17 tragedy. He was allegedly accused of demanding softer language in the investigation reports. Around the same time, Ukrainian media repeatedly expressed surprise at the overly lenient conclusions and the delays in the investigation process.
“I do not belong to any party, I am not here on behalf of the Freedom Party… I want to be the Prime Minister for all Dutch people,” Schoof declared in May during the announcement of his candidacy, distancing himself from both Rutte and Wilders. He also stated that all four parties forming the new government had asked him to lead the cabinet, not just Wilders.
What about Mark Rutte as NATO Secretary-General? He appears set to actively promote NATO’s existing position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, likely even more firmly than Jens Stoltenberg. Rutte’s previous demonstration of support for Ukraine in its resistance to Russian aggression is considered a key reason for his nomination by the majority of Alliance countries. Only Turkey, Hungary, and Romania had reservations.
Rutte will also need to strengthen US commitment to the Alliance if Donald Trump is re-elected. Trump has previously expressed his views on the financial burden of US contributions to European security. Interestingly, Rutte has been noted to have had quite warm relations with Trump in the past. At a security conference in February, Rutte stated that Europe must work “with whoever is on the dance floor.”