2023-06-15 19:24:07
BAt NATO there is increasing evidence that the term of office of the Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is extended again. “If we don’t agree on a successor candidate, NATO won’t be able to stand without the Secretary General,” said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) on Thursday before a meeting with his colleagues from the alliance. “So of course I’m in favor of an extension, especially since I really appreciate the cooperation.”
Also the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, which belongs to the informal group of candidates, spoke out in favor of an extension. “That would really be a good solution,” she told broadcaster DR. She herself was “not on the way to NATO.” Stoltenberg asserted that he was not looking for a further extension – it would be the fourth, he has been in office since 2014. But he also said on Thursday that the 31 allies would have to decide on his future.
The allies want it to be clear at the summit meeting in Vilnius in mid-July how to proceed. An extension of Stoltenberg’s contract, which runs until the end of September, by a year would give several possible candidates an option for the post. So could the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez be interested if he is not re-elected at the end of July. The Dutchman Mark Rutte is also mentioned again and again. So far he has declined, but a breakup of his governing coalition could lead to a rethink.
Meanwhile, the only candidate who has officially applied is considered to have no chance: British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. Many EU countries, including Germany and France, are insisting that the next Secretary General come from an EU country. Also, most states want a head of government for the post; this is justified by the special responsibility in times of war.
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