Government organisations can access the NEN-EN-ISO/IEC 27001 and 27002 standards free of charge via NEN Connect. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) is making these standards available to help government bodies enhance their information security and cyber resilience.
The standards in question are NEN-EN-ISO/IEC 27001 for information security management systems and NEN-EN-ISO/IEC 27002, which provides guidelines for information security controls.
Cbw and BIO2
The standards play an important role in the Cyberbeveiligingswet (Cbw) and the Baseline Information Security for Government (BIO2). The Cbw has been in force since 15 August 2026 and implements the European NIS2 Directive in the Netherlands.
For government organisations falling under the scope of the Cbw, implementing the ISO standards and the government measures outlined in BIO2 is legally mandatory. For those not covered by the Cbw, BIO2 serves as a binding form of self-regulation.
For all government organisations
Free access is available to all Dutch government agencies, regardless of whether they fall under the Cbw. This includes ministries and executive agencies, provinces, municipalities, water authorities, independent administrative bodies, and joint arrangements. Public-private partnerships involving government agencies can also use NEN Connect. As these entities may not always be immediately identifiable during the application process, NEN may request additional information.
More information
Further information on the standards and how to apply for access is available on the NEN website (Dutch).
