The Netherlands Digitalisation Strategy (NDS) marks the first time a national strategy has been adopted to build a digital government. Digitalisation is one of the most powerful tools for addressing today’s major societal challenges.
Working as one
Digitalisation is not an end in itself; it is essential for government to perform its tasks reliably, efficiently and accountably as one government. This calls for collaboration across all levels of government, with public service providers, knowledge institutions and private-sector parties. Parliament and the media also have a stake, as do citizens and entrepreneurs, who are entitled to secure, accessible and dependable digital public services. The NDS champions a digital government that works for the Netherlands, underpinned by a strong digital foundation that enables reliable public services and improves workability for citizens, companies and professionals.
Moving beyond good intentions
Society’s challenges are becoming more complex, even as our reliance on technology grows, requiring clear choices and joint steering. The NDS therefore moves beyond good intentions: it standardises where needed, pools investments and capacity, and actively drives implementation and scale-up. The result is greater digital autonomy, enabling citizens, entrepreneurs and civil servants to rely on a single government that delivers. Throughout, the focus remains on trustworthy digitalisation that upholds public values, with legal protection and democratic oversight embedded in implementation and delivery.
How the NDS is structured
The NDS sets out 6 priorities and 3 interventions. The priorities cover the major digitalisation themes, effectively sub-programmes under the NDS banner: cloud, data, artificial intelligence, putting citizens and entrepreneurs first, digital resilience and digital autonomy, and digital proficiency.
The interventions address the issues that would otherwise hold the NDS back. They focus on standards and building blocks, IT sourcing and purchasing power, and legislation.
Each priority and intervention comes with a set of accelerators, the concrete steps that turn plans into results.
