The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) turns 75 today, and to mark this occasion, foreign ministers from the 32 allied countries will meet in the headquarters in Brussels.
On 4 April 1949, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United States and the United Kingdom signed the North Atlantic Treaty, the founding treaty of NATO, in Washington.
The alliance aimed to ensure the collective defence of its members, a principle enshrined in the Treaty, which states that an attack on one or more of its members is considered an attack on all of them. Three-quarters of a century later, the alliance has grown from 12 to 32 allies, following the recent accession of Finland and Sweden.
Celebrations for this anniversary will begin at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels during the Foreign Affairs Ministerial Conference on 3 and 4 April. On the actual anniversary, some ministers and NATO leaders will give a speech at a ceremony.
Rumours suggest the new Secretary-General may be decided on in the coming days as the United States wants to appoint a successor to current NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg no later than the NATO summit in July. The current favourite for the position is former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis also in the race.
Larger commemorations will be held at the 75th anniversary Summit in Washington DC in July. These occasions also mark crucial opportunities for allies and partners to reinforce the alliance’s unity, especially in light of questions surrounding the United States' commitment, and in the face of a new era of strategic competition.
Belgium's role in NATO
Belgium is also pulling out the stops to mark the occasion. On Wednesday, Manneken Pis in the city centre of Brussels will don a NATO suit and the NATO flag will be raised under the arch in Parc du Cinquantenaire for two days. The Royal Mint of Belgium also struck a limited edition commemorative €10 coin. A total of 3,000 silver coins will be issued.
Belgium was one of the founding members, and its bond with NATO was further strengthened in 1967 when the alliance's headquarters moved from Paris to the Brussels municipality of Evere.
The first session of NATO in Brussels in 1967. Credit: Belga Archives
The country also houses one of NATO's two strategic headquarters: SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in Casteau near Mons.
Here, the Alliance's military operations are coordinated. Finally, Belgium is also involved in efforts to strengthen NATO's eastern flank in response to Russian aggression against Ukraine by guarding the airspace of the Baltic states. It has also integrated troops in Lithuania and Romania.
