In the wake of the Norwegian cabinet reshuffle, Jens Stoltenberg, the former NATO Secretary General, has been appointed as the new Finance Minister. Initially, the news was reported by the NRK radio station on Tuesday and was later confirmed by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Stoltenberg will succeed Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, who has been in the position since October 2021.
Stoltenberg began his career in Norwegian politics in the 1990s. He was first appointed as Finance Minister in 1996 and later served as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party on two occasions, from 2000 to 2014. From 2014 to 2024, he was the NATO Secretary General.
The appointment as Finance Minister collides with the announcement made at the Munich Security Conference last October, in which Stoltenberg was set to chair the event in February 2025. In a statement, Stoltenberg announced that he will return to the Munich Security Conference and his other duties after the end of his term as Finance Minister.
Wolfgang Ischinger, President of the Munich Security Conference’s Board of Trustees, expressed pride in being able to welcome Stoltenberg back to the organization, stating that the conference is in good hands with its two deputy chairmen until Stoltenberg’s return.
The Norwegian government was reshuffled after eight ministers from the Centre Party left the coalition cabinet at the end of January 2025. As a result, the cabinet is now fully composed of members from the Labour Party for the first time in 25 years and will govern until the next parliamentary election in September 2025.