Rutte gifted EU flag at his final debate as PM; Dutch leader set to lead NATO next

Mark Rutte said his farewell to Parliament on Tuesday in what was expected to be his final appearance as prime minister before the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament. As MPs gathered to discuss the upcoming EU Summit, all 32 NATO members affirmed their support for Rutte to lead the military alliance. Rutte’s final appearance as prime minister will take place at the annual commemoration of the abolition of slavery in Amsterdam on Monday.

Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte unveiled a flag of the European Union before his last debate in the lower house of the Dutch Parliament, the Tweede Kamer, after he had been given this as a gift by Laurens Dassen (Volt) and Jan Paternotte (D66) "I am going to miss everything about this job. It is a lovely job and an incredible honor, and these Kamer debates are a beautiful part of the job," said the outgoing minister-president.

The Kamer has always been a "greedy lover," Rutte said before the debate, which was mainly about the European summit.

"First the country, then the party, and then himself," VVD MP Thom van Camden summed up Rutte's motto in his debate contribution, which was entirely dedicated to the impending farewell of the Prime Minister.

The public stand and the parliament benches were filled with VVD members. Rutte took a photo with his party's faction. Parliament chair Martin Bosma read a poem to say goodbye to the prime minister.

All 32 NATO countries have confirmed that they want Mark Rutte to be the next chief of the alliance. Their ambassadors expressed their support in an informal meeting on Tuesday at the headquarters in Brussels. They will officially confirm the appointment on Wednesday, said the Croatian ambassador who acted as chair.

Rutte was already assured of the secretary general position at NATO last week. Romania was the last country to announce its support for the departing prime minister. All other NATO countries, including Turkey and Hungary, had already announced their support for Rutte before this.

The nestor of NATO ambassadors, Croatia's, then called his colleagues together, according to old tradition, to see whether they agreed on the new NATO chief's decision. Ambassador Mario Nobilo saw an agreement at the meeting, also known as 'Dean's Coffee.

Mark Rutte’s final public appearance as prime minister will be the memorial service marking the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, and the Dutch ties to the slave trade. That is scheduled annually on July 1, and the new Cabinet will be installed by King Willem-Alexander the following day.

A private farewell party for Rutte, the longest-serving prime minister in the country’s history, will be held at a later date. It has yet to be scheduled, and a location is not yet known.

On December 19, 2022, Rutte issued an official apology on behalf of the Netherlands for the Dutch ties to slavery in the past. “So with this apology we are writing not a full stop, but a comma,” he said at the time.

“The dialogue on the history of slavery should be held as broadly as possible, not only in the Netherlands, but also, and especially, in the places where it happened, with everyone who is involved or feels involved.”