Jeroen van der Veer, former Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell, will be vice-chair of a group of twelve highly-qualified experts who will prepare a new NATO Strategic Concept. Mr Van der Veer has agreed to join the group at the request of NATO’s new Secretary-General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The group will be chaired by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Dutch foreign minister Maxime Verhagen expressed great satisfaction at Mr Van der Veer’s appointment. "This is a recognition of Van der Veer’s achievements as a successful leader of the international business community and an expert on energy security," the minister said. "And by making this appointment Mr Rasmussen is also highlighting the Netherlands’ role as an active and committed player in the Alliance."

The Strategic Concept will be a guideline for NATO’s activities in the coming years. Under Mr Rasmussen’s leadership, the group of experts will focus on the question of what NATO’s core task should be in the light of shifting global power relations and the rise of new challenges such as terrorism, cyber attacks, piracy, energy security and global warming.

NATO’s current Strategic Concept dates from 1999. Mr Rasmussen will use the group of experts’ recommendations as a basis for a new Strategic Concept, to be drafted in consultation with the NATO member states and adopted at the next NATO summit.

Mr Rasmussen has chosen to appoint a wide range of experts to the group, which the NATO heads of state and government had mandated him to establish. The group will examine NATO’s role today from a variety of different angles and specialisms. This was one consideration behind the Netherlands’ nomination of Mr Van der Veer.

Mr Van der Veer will participate in the group of experts as an independent, private individual.