NATO Turns 75

Thursday 4 April 2024 marked the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which Luxembourg is a founding member.

Foreign ministers, including Luxembourg's Xavier Bettel, gathered at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday to celebrate this milestone. On this occasion, the founding treaty (usually held in Washington, D.C.) was on display at the headquarters for the first time. In his speech, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the Alliance as "bigger, stronger and more united than ever". One day earlier, when meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels, Mr Stoltenberg emphasised the need for continued support for Ukraine, not least from the United States, in the face of Russian aggression.

As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Minister Bettel is attending various working sessions of the North Atlantic Council, with a focus on preparing the NATO Summit in Washington in July 2024, as well as on NATO relations with Ukraine and with Indo-Pacific partners.

Background

On 4 April 1949, twelve countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C. in the United States. At the heart of this fourteen-article-long treaty, which laid the foundations of NATO, is a shared commitment to collective defence. The treaty also outlined a determination to safeguard shared values "founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law". Among the initial reasons for NATO was to deter Soviet expansionism (Cold War context) but also to prevent a revival of nationalist militarism in Europe (post-WWII) and to promote European political integration.

The twelve founding members of NATO are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. Since 1949, there have been ten rounds of enlargement. Today, NATO counts 32 member countries, known as NATO Allies. Newcomers Finland (2023) and Sweden (2024) both decided to submit their official NATO application letters after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Luxembourg & NATO

Luxembourg, for its part, had near-unanimous political consensus to join NATO back in 1949. Just a few years earlier, the country had been liberated from Nazi occupation by Allied forces. In 1948, the Grand Duchy formally abandoned its neutrality and became a founding member of NATO one year later.

In recent years, the Luxembourg Army has contributed to NATO missions such as the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Currently, up to 30 Luxembourg soldiers are deployed at the Cincu military base in Romania, as part of NATO's Enhanced Vigilance Activities (eVA).

The Grand Duchy is also home to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), the executive body of the NATO Support and Procurement Organisation (NSPO). Just last week, on Tuesday 26 March 2024, a groundbreaking ceremony inaugurated the construction of two administration buildings for the NSPA headquarters in Capellen.

Over the years, there has been some disagreement over Luxembourg's NATO spending: the country often emerges as the NATO member that spends the least on defence compared to the size of its economy. According to NATO guidelines, members should spend 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence each year. However, Luxembourg politicians have argued that gross national income (GNI) would be a more appropriate and accurate measure.

Nevertheless, relations between Luxembourg and NATO remain strong. As Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Prime Minister Luc Frieden in December 2023, "Luxembourg is a highly valued Ally. Luxembourg was a founding member of NATO almost 75 years ago. Today you continue to make many important contributions to our shared security."