Is the new NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte moving in at ‘Billionaire's Square’?

Since time immemorial, an official residence on the Bossquare on Brussels' Louisalaan is thrown in as a welcoming present to every new NATO secretary-general, when he takes office. That property will be ready for Mark Rutte next October when he takes up his new job.  It is valued at around 12 million euros. So, it’s hardly surprising that the Bossquare, a cul-de-sac with restricted access located at the beginning of Terkameren Wood, is commonly known as ‘Billionaire’s Square’.  Mr Rutte is expected to move in when he replaces Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary-general and head of the West’s  military alliance, but will he?

The mansion, said to have more than 20 rooms, is part of a gated community, where some of the super rich from Belgium and abroad live under lock and key. Residents include: Paloma Picasso, the daughter of the famous surrealist painter, the Taittinger champagne family and Charles De Pauw, the grandson of Charly De Pauw, the famous Brussels property developer behind the Manhattan Plan in the Brussels' North District.

The joint property that includes the NATO secretary-general’s residence consists of 24 townhouses that are shielded from the outside world is located on the Bossquare and is in one of the most expensive neighbourhoods of the capital.  It’s dubbed ‘Billionaire's Square, though most of the families it is believed would have to scrape to bring a billion euros together.

NATO originally chose the site for security reasons. The Bossquare is the only gated community in Brussels. Only equipped with a secret code can you gain access to the square. The place is also full of surveillance cameras that keep a close eye on potential intruders. But despite its security advantages, rumour has it that Mark Rutte would prefer to stay in his natural habitat, The Hague.

Will Mark Rutte become a commuter?

Clara Van de Wiel, the EU correspondent of Dutch daily NRC, has her doubts about Mr Rutte leaving his current lifestyle so easily: "Rutte has always prided himself on continuing to live comfortably in his little flat in The Hague, cycling to work without security, getting his coffee on the go and visiting the market in The Hague on Saturdays," she explained in an interview with Brussels media outlet BRUZZ.

According to David Criekemans, professor of international and European studies at Leuven and Antwerp universities, the mansion off the Louisalaan should primarily be seen as an official address. It is here Mr Rutte will receive his guests. "Apart from that, he is free to find somewhere else to live in Brussels, or to return to The Hague at weekends, for example," Criekemans notes.

Mr Rutte mentioned plans for weekends in The Hague during a livestream on his Instagram page on social media. The prospective NATO secretary-general said he wanted to commute between The Hague and Brussels. Probably, he will have to opt for a compromise between his current flat in The Hague and somewhere to live in Brussels.

An austere Protestant comes to Brussels

Despite the fact that none of his predecessors ever chose a different place to live, Prof Criekemans says his job as head of the Alliance doesn’t oblige him to live at the official residence. However, the incoming secretary-general will have to reckon with strict security measures. Security staff will rarely leave his side. Compared to his old lifestyle, Mr Rutte's new chapter in Brussels will be ‘quite a culture shock’, NRC’s Clara Van de Wiel suggests.

Despite the fact that nobody has ever turned down NATO's generous offer of prestigious living quarters, Mr Rutte is not bound by precedent. In the Netherlands too Mr Rutte challenged some traditions. There, it is customary for the prime minister to move into the Catshuis, which has served as the official residence of Dutch prime ministers since the 1960s.  Mr Rutte has never slept there, preferring only to use the Catshuis for official meetings and ceremonies.

For many years during his premiership, Mr Rutte continued to live in a humble terraced house in his home district of The Hague. Dutch media christened that house the prime minister's ‘stulpje’ or 'modest abode'. It became a symbol of the austerity with which Mr Rutte goes through life.

Only time will tell whether Mr Rutte will move into his ostentatious new residence in Brussels full-time next October or becomes a Hague weekender.   Less in doubt is the fact that Mr Rutte will not be home much in his new role. ‘NATO is increasingly taking on a global role. Mr Rutte will undoubtedly have to travel a lot during his tenure at NATO HQ in Brussels,’ Prof Criekemans clarifies.