NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has revealed there is another position he is keen to take on, as his name appeared on the list of candidates for the post of Norwegian Central Bank governor.
The bloc’s Secretary General has confirmed that he is vying for the job of Norway’s next Central Bank head. “The finance ministry contacted me in November and asked whether I would consider applying for the position. I’ve done that now and this is a job I’m very motivated for,” he told the Norwegian NTB news agency.
His name indeed appeared on the list of 22 candidates published by the Norwegian Finance Ministry on Tuesday. Other hopefuls include some unusual candidates, like several students aged between 18 and 20, as well as a store employee, a baker, and several retirees. That does not mean that it would be easy for the NATO chief to snatch the position: Ida Wolden Bache – the central bank’s deputy governor, considered by some economists as the leading contender – is on the list as well.
An economist by training, Stoltenberg previously served as Norway’s finance minister, and also headed the nation’s government twice between 2000 and 2001, as well as between 2005 and 2013, before taking up the position of the NATO Secretary General in 2014.
The Central Bank job would be open from March 1, but Stoltenberg would have to wait until his NATO term ends in late September 2022 before he would be able to take it, the secretary general admitted.
If he does get the job, he will be in charge of setting Norway’s interest rates as well as overseeing the nation’s sovereign wealth fund, which is considered one of the biggest in the world with assets of $1.4 trillion. The new governor is expected to be appointed early next year for a period of six years.
