State Secretaries rarely speak publicly about the birds and the bees. Yet Willemijn Aerdts did exactly that at the opening of GovTech Day on 11 June 2026, where the common thread was ‘ecosystems’. Or, as day chair Frits Bussemaker clarified, “structures to get things done”. The day centred on collaboration and on making it work within those structures and ecosystems.
Creative collaboration
Aerdts began by referencing the well-known biological ecosystem. “Small things feed big things, which in turn give life to the next part of the chain. An ecosystem only works if all parts participate.” This serves as a metaphor for how the digital ecosystem operates. Entrepreneurs bring ideas, scientists provide knowledge, businesses invest, and the government stimulates that growth. “This is how we build a digital Netherlands together that we can be proud of.”
The right energy
In the large hall of South Holland Provincial House, the State Secretary outlined the cabinet’s ambition: for the Netherlands to be a frontrunner in digitalisation and responsible innovation. With digitalisation, “we use it as a means for the government to work as one, reliably, efficiently and responsibly. And with the Netherlands’ Digitalisation Strategy (NDS), we standardise where necessary, pool our strengths and investments, and ensure that implementation and scaling up run smoothly.”
Aerdts emphasised the need for collaboration. She announced that in the coming period she aims to find creative forms of collaboration with all NDS partners. She concluded by calling for “talking, working and exploring” with one another, across organisational boundaries.
Asked why the State Secretary, despite her limited time, still chose to attend, Aerdts explained that GovTech Day was the ideal venue for her message. “We are here with over 600 people from government, industry, and science. This is precisely the energy I am seeking.”
NDS progress update
That energy spread throughout the day, filling the halls and corridors of the Provincial House. The NDS was also prominent, appearing in session titles and in the stories shared. NDS Programme Director Erik-Jan Boon briefed a packed Provincial Council chamber on the current state of affairs.
Boon: It’s encouraging to see interest in our programme’s activities. I acknowledge our ongoing challenges in collaboration and moving toward ‘more of 1 government.’ The responses indicate that the NDS is more tangible than many assumed; despite limited resources, we’ve accomplished significant outcomes. The questions I get reveal a strong desire to link ongoing initiatives within individual organisations to the NDS, as people are eager to contribute to the collective good.
Scaling AI
The AI Scaling Facility also made its public debut. It is an accelerator for the NDS AI priority. Arthur Groenendijk from ICTU explained that the facility is neither a subsidy programme nor an innovation centre, but “a workshop where all the good components for scaling AI applications can be found.” This includes technical AI elements, as well as opportunities to match supply and demand, provide guidance, offer temporary computing power, and support so-called buyer groups. These are governments that jointly formulate an AI requirement and then commission its development as a project. Think of the process behind a shared chatbot.
The NDS has identified priority application areas for scaling up, such as AI to improve civil servants’ productivity and interactions with citizens and entrepreneurs. Groenendijk stated, “We’re past the point of trying new experiments; now we’re focused on successful innovations that can be scaled.” The goal is to deliver concrete results this year, including launching an online chatbot and establishing multiple buyer groups.
(No) European market
In conclusion, international economic adviser Cristina Caffara shared her vision on the absence of a European market for digital products and services. The Italian did not mince her words: “Europeans keep complaining about values and democracy, as if no one else has them. Stop it. Look at the Americans and how they operate.” And: “All that legislation and regulation; what has it achieved? Google is still considered the best search engine. Amazon and Microsoft still exist.”
Promote European products and companies
Caffara criticised the EU Tech Sovereignty package as ineffective, calling it a typical committee effort weakened by lobbying from big tech companies. She dismissed the idea that European products are inferior to American ones as propaganda, noting that she encounters excellent digital products throughout Europe. She believes Europe’s suppliers haven’t yet dominated the continent because of Europe’s own shortcomings. Caffara emphasises the need for Europe to actively support and promote its own digital companies.
