The North Atlantic Council, NATO's highest political body, has officially endorsed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next NATO Secretary General. Rutte will succeed Jens Stoltenberg, who has held the position since 2014.

Rutte secured the necessary support for his candidacy from Slovakia and Hungary on Tuesday, June 18, following the withdrawal of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on June 19, who was also vying for the position.

According to NATO's official announcement, Mark Rutte is set to assume office as Secretary General on October 1, 2024, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg upon the expiration of his term.

A key priority for Rutte's tenure will be overseeing efforts to increase defense spending among NATO member countries to 2 percent of GDP. Despite the Netherlands achieving this goal only recently, after a decade-long commitment, Rutte will aim to encourage other member states to meet this target.

Currently, NATO estimates that only 23 out of its 32 member countries have reached the 2 percent  GDP spending target on defense.

The formal appointment of Rutte as NATO Secretary General is expected to take place during the organization's summit in Washington in July. Rutte's term will span five years.