The Netherlands faces a critical decision: to invest in digitalisation or risk falling behind in global technological and geopolitical progress. State Secretary for the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), Eddie van Marum, warns that at least an extra €1 billion a year is needed until 2030 to secure and strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure, as stated in his letter to Parliament.
Urgency
Digital systems constitute the invisible backbone of our society and are essential for a strong government, a resilient Netherlands, and a future-proof economy. To seize opportunities, the Netherlands’ Digitalisation Strategy (NDS) was launched last summer. This marks the first government-wide strategy to address IT policy fragmentation and accelerate our digital initiatives. Without ongoing investments, there is a risk of service stagnation, increased vulnerability to cyberattacks, and the loss of the Netherlands’ competitive edge.
No longer merely an option
Van Marum, who oversees digitalisation, emphasises: “We don’t talk about it much, but when critical computer systems fail, everything comes to a standstill. Digitalisation is therefore no longer merely an option; it has become a necessity. To truly progress, the next cabinet needs to allocate at least an additional 1 billion euros annually to digitalisation. These investments are vital for providing high-quality services to citizens and businesses, improving resilience, maintaining the Netherlands’ ongoing functionality, and safeguarding our data. Failing to act now will result in higher costs later, in terms of both financial and time expenses, as well as a loss of public trust.”
Letter to Parliament
In his letter to Parliament (in Dutch), Van Marum includes a ‘status report’ that provides an initial overview of the investments required. The document is the result of a collaboration with other departments. These include local authorities and the network of public service providers (abbreviated NPD, in Dutch). These organisations will introduce a comprehensive investment plan in the second quarter of 2026. It will detail the funding required to accelerate the scale-up.
About the NDS
Last summer, the government launched the Netherlands’ Digitalisation Strategy (NDS). This strategy is a joint plan by municipalities, provinces, water authorities, public service providers and the government. The strategy aims to strengthen the country’s digital foundation. The NDS emphasises 6 priorities on which all government organisations are collaborating as 1 government to accelerate progress. These include cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital resilience and digital autonomy.
