The Netherlands’ Digitalisation Strategy (NDS) marks an important step towards a more collaborative approach to digitalisation. One of its key priorities is the government-wide responsible sharing and use of data.
Nathan Ducastel, chair of the NDS council: “With the NDS, we want to press ahead with a concise set of measures and priorities. The main idea is that these will contribute to a resilient society, future-oriented services and a prosperous economy.”
How did the NDS come about?
“The state secretary for Digitalisation and Kingdom Relations, along with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, drew up the NDS together with all the authorities in the House of Thorbecke. The momentum to work together more closely is there. This was also evident from the joint call by all levels of government to launch the NDS as soon as possible, despite the fall of the cabinet. I am pleased that the Council of Ministers has decided to proceed with the NDS.”
The NDS will also have an NDS council, with you serving as the independent chair. What is the purpose of this council?
“To drive, prioritise and set the agenda. Acceleration is the keyword. We want to accelerate digitalisation, based on the priorities of the NDS. The goal is not to produce even more paper. We want to get things done together. Formally, we advise the cabinet, local authorities and the Thorbecke Table, where the various levels of government make decisions about digitalisation.”
What is the significance of the NDS and how does it differ from earlier strategies?
“Many policies and plans have been developed in recent years. Many of them were comprehensive. The NDS is different. It aims to take decisive action based on a concise set of measures and priorities. The main idea is that the NDS contributes to greater autonomy, continuity of service provision, and increased resilience. For each priority, we assessed factors that facilitate and hinder progress. This includes aspects like data sharing, establishing our own secure cloud, and the innovations needed for responsible AI use. The strategy details the what and why, offering guidance. Moving forward, we will focus on developing the ‘how’ in collaboration with all relevant administrative bodies partners.”
How will the NDS ensure the necessary acceleration?
“This will be done in two ways. The first is collaboration. I have noticed that there is a sense of urgency across all levels of government to work together more closely. Geopolitical realities are forcing us to do so, as are various laws and regulations, including those from Europe. The momentum for closer collaboration is there. That is why we want to work together to accelerate the priorities and objectives set out in the NDS.
The second is standardisation. As the NDS Council and related programme, we concentrate on the actual implementation of the agreed standards. This includes, for example, the Port standard for platform-independent hosting. This enables governments to develop their digital autonomy.
We want to tour the country with a joint promotion team. The aim is to engage the relevant authorities on the use of these standards. Once there is an agreement at the administrative level to adopt these standards, the question is no longer if they will be applied, but when. One organisation may move faster than another. But ultimately, every organisation will need to use them.
Furthermore, we reach agreements in a broader sense. This enables us, as a government, to collaborate more effectively. For instance, we can make better use of each other’s procurement expertise or data centres.
In addition to priorities per theme, the NDS also highlights four cross-cutting themes. These can either accelerate or hinder all priorities, such as procurement and financing. We aim to implement generic interventions for these themes. The specific details of these interventions will become clear in the coming period.”
The Intergovernmental Data Strategy (IBDS) was established for two reasons: to capitalise on the opportunities offered by responsible data use and to address bottlenecks. One of the six priorities of the NDS is to improve the use and sharing of data. How do the objectives of the NDS and IBDS align?
“The responsible use of data is essential for achieving the ambitions set out in the NDS. For example, resolving bottlenecks surrounding data exchange. This ambition aligns with the objectives of the IBDS. This means that the activities of the IBDS will be given even higher priority. Examples include the Central Commission for Data Use (CCG) and the introduction of the Federative Data System (FDS). It also means that we need to be very precise about the FDS. The aim is for government organisations to use this system. This begins by clarifying what it is and the standards and working methods linked to it. This will enable market parties to incorporate these agreements and standards into their operations and allow government bodies to start using them. There is scope for the Realisation IBDS programme to adopt a more confident and concrete stance. This will enable us to collaborate and advance government interoperability to the next level. Of course, the IBDS is not an end in itself, but a means of contributing to a proactive and well-coordinated government that operates within the boundaries of the law.”
The European Union has ambitious goals in digitalisation. How do these align with the NDS?
“The NDS implements existing and future European legislation and regulations. The comprehensive package for the Digital Decade provides another reason for the government to work closely together. Together, we can translate European requirements into standards that meet these requirements. This will also enable us to collaborate on implementing the NIS2 Directive for information security. In addition, we share knowledge on how to use AI responsibly. There are about 1,600 government organisations in the Netherlands. Let’s avoid generating 1,600 individual responses to Europe’s requirements. Instead, let’s collaborate and do it all in one go.”
In addition to being the independent chair of the NDS Council, you are also the director of VNG Realisatie (Association of Netherlands Municipalities). What does the NDS mean to municipalities?
“There will be more control over several topics that the NDS considers priorities. A central body will be established, which we, as municipalities, will jointly set up. We will contribute our collective knowledge to this body. And we will put agreements, standards and working methods into practice there. This will not be optional. For instance, there is the agreement that some datasets may only be stored in a Dutch cloud or in government data centres. It is therefore important for municipalities to map out their data. It is also important that they know where that data is currently located and how they can move it to the right place. That takes work. On the other hand, it also means that municipalities do not have to reinvent the wheel themselves. So, it will also save work.”
How do you ensure that everyone actually participates and complies with the agreements made within the framework of the NDS? The House of Thorbecke remains in place, maintaining a significant level of independence across different government levels.
“I sense a widespread urgency to tackle digitalisation as more of a joint effort. At the same time, there’s momentum. Digitalisation is on everyone’s agenda, including the political agenda. This combination should result in us making significant progress. Additionally, there are always legal and financial means to effect change. In terms of financing, we will be assessing what is needed and available in the coming period. We can also use the Digital Government Act (Wdo), but I consider that a last resort. Let’s start with a group of organisations that jointly demonstrate the benefits of the agreements made. More organisations will follow suit. Eventually, participation will become mandatory. That will convince the last holdouts. Hopefully, that won’t be necessary, and all government organisations will have joined the movement we are setting in motion with the NDS.
