On the way to the election of the new G.G. of NATO until next spring, the Alliance is heading, as Stoltenberg’s term expires in October 2023, after 10 years in office
On the way to the election of the new G.G. of NATO, until next spring, the North Atlantic Alliance is headed, as the term of the current General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg expires in October 2023, after three extensions and a total of a decade in this office.
As the discussions about the succession of G. Stoltenberg increase at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance in Brussels, the scenarios in the international press about the names of the candidates are heating up. The list of candidates is quite long and the competition is expected to be tough, at a time when the post of G.G. of NATO has regained great prestige due to the intensifying crises, such as in Ukraine, but also at a global level where NATO is called upon to play a stabilizing role.
The candidates
According to the latest information gathered by APE-MPE from NATO sources, the names that have been repeatedly heard so far in the corridors of the Alliance’s headquarters, but also in various publications in the international press, are the name of the former Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Draghi, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Canadian Vice President Chrystia Freeland, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kalas, Slovak President Zuzana Czaputova, former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitanovic and the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis. At the same time, other names – surprises – from countries such as Germany and Belgium are not excluded. At the same time, in the corridors of the NATO headquarters, it is rumored that the current G.G. , Stoltenberg wishes to extend even more his already long term, to 2024, which, however, as it sounds, would encounter very strong objections this time from a group of countries, with France prominent.
The process
The internal procedures of the Alliance provide that shortly before the end of the term of office of the respective General Secretary, the Council of the 30 member countries of NATO begins a series of consultations at the level of Permanent Representatives, under the coordination and presidency of the rector of this Body ( this particularly important position today happens to be occupied by Greece), until the candidate preferred by the overwhelming majority is selected. As usual, during this process, the background is intense, with constant contacts between the capitals of the most important Allies and with the first role belonging to Washington. So far, the process is at an early stage and the Greek rector of the House has started to collect the first names of candidates, which are kept as a top secret. The deadline for the election of the new G.G. is set for next spring, so that his name will be announced at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania in June 2023. The final choice to be made by the Council of Permanent Representatives, at the behest of their capitals, provides for unanimity without voting.
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