New HSD Partner RAND Europe Opens Office in The Netherlands

RAND Europe celebrated the opening of their new office in The Netherlands on 3 October during Cybersecurity Week. During this event in the Mauritshuis this new HSD Premium Partner celebrated their office opening and paid special attention to their recent publication ‘Strengthening Societal Resilience: A perspective on strategic priorities for the Netherlands amidst geopolitical tensions’. A panel discussion with several high-profile experts took place on this subject, including speakers Dutch Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans and Director of National Crisis Management Marco Zannoni.

The Netherlands is insufficiently prepared for potential crises, including cyber-attacks, pandemics and economic disruptions, international thinktank RAND Europe emphasised in this new report. The discussion during their event was about societal vulnerability in light of recent geopolitical tensions in Europe.

Three themes were subject of discussion in the report: societal involvement, defence, and economy & finance. To further discuss this, Ruben Brekelmans (Minister of Defence), Marco Zannoni (director of the NCTV), Ruth Harris (research director defence and security at RAND Europe), and Maksym Skrypchenko (director of the Transatlantic Dialogue Centre) took part in a panel discussion. They spoke about future challenges and potential steps for The Netherlands to take, inspired by personal experiences.

Stijn Hoorens, director of RAND Europe Netherlands and one of the report’s authors states: “The threats with which The Netherlands is confronted are diverse and complex. Without a coordinated approach between government, the private sector and civilians, Dutch society will be insufficiently prepared for future crises.”

The opening of their new office marks the return of RAND Europe to The Netherlands after an absence of 18 years. RAND Europe is an independent non-profit research institute for policy analysis, with the mission to improve policy and decision-making. The office offers RAND the possibility to collaborate more closely with Dutch and European partners. “The Netherlands is the gateway to Europe. This office allows us to strengthen our presence to collaborate with partners to make the Netherlands, Europe, and all who live there more secure”, Hoorens concludes.