Here he is known as the ‘frugal’, the man who promised his supporters not to give more money to Italians. In his country he is instead known as “Teflon Mark”, for his ability to never be affected by scandals, which never stick to him like in a non-stick pan. We are talking about Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is preparing to leave the leadership of the Netherlands to take up another highly prestigious position: that of Secretary General of NATO.
The approval of the allies
Once the last hostilities have been overcome, the 32 members of the Atlantic Alliance have reached unanimity on his name as successor to the outgoing Jens Stoltenberg, with the official announcement expected to arrive in a few days and the handover scheduled for October, when the mandate will expire of Norwegian. Once the last two vetoes fell, that of Viktor Orban’s Hungary and that of Robert Fico’s Slovakia, even his only challenger, the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, withdrew his candidacy and declared that he will support his Dutch colleague. For Rutte, with the war in Ukraine not looking likely to end any time soon and the Middle East more in flames than ever, leading the Atlantic Alliance will be a complicated challenge.
The last vetoes fall, the frugal Rutte will be Secretary General of NATO
Russia’s opponent
The 57-year-old liberal was one of the main proponents of European support for Ukraine in the war against Vladimir Putin’s Russia. The Dutch government gave Kiev 2.63 billion euros in military aid and promised another 2 billion for 2024. “Ukraine must win this battle. For their security and for ours,” he said. Former leader of the popular VVD, ‘Teflon Mark’ was among those who pushed hardest for Kiev to be supplied with F-16 fighter jets, a decision described by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as “historic” during a trip to the countries Bass.
Rutte’s aversion to Putin’s Russia dates back to 2014, when an airliner was shot down over Ukraine, an attack that Amsterdam blames on Moscow-backed separatists, which left 298 people dead, including 196 Dutch. The war “will not stop in Ukraine if we don’t stop it now. This war is bigger than Ukraine itself. This is about upholding the international rule of law,” he told the United Nations in September 2022, seven months after the beginning of the invasion.
US ally
Among the first to support Rutte’s candidacy to lead NATO were Joe Biden’s United States, to which the future Secretary General has repeatedly demonstrated that he is a faithful ally. And he also did it to the detriment of his own economy. Like when he agreed to follow Washington in limiting the sale of advanced semiconductors and chip-making equipment to China. A terrible decision for the business of the Dutch company Asml Holding NV, producer of the most advanced chip lithography systems in the world, and which had 15% of its turnover in the Dutch giant.
And when it comes to the United States, Rutte is considered a man for all seasons. Some have called him the “Trump whisperer“, the whisperer in Trump’s ear, for his ability to have excellent relations even with the quarrelsome ex-president who could soon return to the helm of the USA.
The frugal
In Europe Rutte is instead known for his rigid positions on public finances. Those of his country but also those of other member states, especially Mediterranean ones such as Italy. His intransigence led him to become the leader of the so-called ‘frugal’ group, the supporters of austerity, even beating Germany. He once showed up at the EU budget negotiations with a biography of Frédéric Chopin to get through the night because “what else is there to do”, he said contemptuously, making it clear that he would not give an inch on his positions of he.
Chancellor Angela Merkel was also reportedly annoyed by his behavior. But in fact in this way Rutte managed to carve out for small Holland, a country of only 17 million inhabitants, a role superior to the one he had in the past. The only excessive public spending he admitted was on defence, which under his leadership in the Netherlands came in above the 2% target prescribed by NATO.
Simple lifestyle
And with these positions he also managed to maintain the consensus of his population, becoming the prime minister who remained in office the longest: 14 years. The Dutch have also always liked the style of this 51-year-old, unmarried man, known for going to work by bicycle (or driving an old Saab when he’s in a hurry) and who also usually arrives at the European Councils in Brussels by walking from his hotel, and not in a blue car like everyone else.
During the pandemic he was among the last to impose restrictive measures in Europe, initially relying almost exclusively on the discipline of the Dutch. Rutte shops at the supermarket alone and lives in the same area of The Hague where he grew up, in a house he bought with his friends when he was a student. Truly ‘frugal’ habits, but which he will probably have to abandon as Secretary General of NATO.
