EU CHIEF URSULA VON DER LEYEN IN RUNNING TO BE NEW NATO CHIEF: REPORTS

Sat 01 Apr 2023:

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen might be in for a promotion. Multiple reports have stated that she is in the running to become the new head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and could take over the position, as early as October this year.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s current secretary-general is expected to see out his term, after having served in the position for almost nine years- extending the job on three different occasions.

Notably, there is no formal election process for the new NATO head. The 30-member alliance privately chooses the new leader by consensus.

Despite her credentials as the EU chief, von der Leyen will have a tough road if she is to succeed Stoltenberg. According to British media, the Rishi Sunak government is expected to veto von der Leyen’s chances, citing her poor record as in charge of Germany’s armed forces.

The EU boss has also been under heavy scrutiny for the scandals that have plagued the bloc. She is under probe for the massive, multi-billion euro coronavirus vaccine contract that was signed at the height of the pandemic. She reportedly had a text exchange with Pfizer’s Chief Executive Albert Bourla before the contract was signed.

Consequently, Sunak is pushing his Defence Secretary Ben Wallace as the prime candidate for the job. If Wallace manages to pip von der Leyen, he will become the first British secretary-general of NATO in over 20 years.

Similarly, German media has projected Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as the second alternative alongside Wallace for the job.

Meanwhile, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Canada’s Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland are also in the running for the post. The latter, however, may not go the distance as she failed to meet NATO’s target of spending two per cent of the GDP on defense.

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