New Dutch Coalition Agreement Positions Digitalisation as Strategic Pillar for the Netherlands

Today, the prospective governing coalition of D66, CDA and VVD has just presented its new coalition agreement, namend “Getting to Work”. A central message of the agreement is clear: digitalisation is no longer regarded as a supporting policy area, but as a strategic instrument that directly impacts national security, economic strength and the democratic rule of law.

The agreement explicitly states that the Netherlands and Europe have become too dependent on a small number of foreign technology providers. This dependency increases vulnerability, especially at a time when technology is increasingly used as a geopolitical instrument. Daily cyberattacks on government institutions and businesses underline the urgency of strengthening digital autonomy. The coalition therefore aims to position the Netherlands as a frontrunner in responsible digital innovation, supported by strong European ecosystems in areas such as cloud, data, cybersecurity by design, artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.

Government procurement and Security by Design

Within the government itself, procurement and tendering processes will be further centralised and standardised. The agreement establishes security-by-design, zero trust, open source, sovereignty and supply-chain security as guiding principles for public digital systems and services. These principles are intended to ensure that digital systems are resilient, transparent and less dependent on external actors.

Economically, the coalition places strong emphasis on digital technology and innovation. The Netherlands is expected to move from a “pilot country” to a true “scale-up nation”, particularly through increased public–private investments. To enable innovations to grow beyond the development phase, the coalition will deploy the National Growth Fund and, where possible, align investments with European co-financing mechanisms. This approach is intended to accelerate the scaling of promising technologies and reduce fragmentation between national and European innovation efforts.

Priority areas include AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, quantum technologies and photonics. Scaling these technologies is seen as essential to maintaining the Netherlands’ competitive position and long-term earning capacity.

Investing in ecosystems and strategic innovation clusters

The coalition recognises that the Netherlands’ strength lies in ecosystems built on collaboration between large companies, SMEs, start-ups and knowledge institutions. It therefore opts for a targeted and focused ecosystem approach, supported by economic policy specifically designed around these systems.

As part of the implementation of the National Technology Strategy, the government will invest in:

• Regional innovation clusters;

• Participation in European innovation programmes;

• Large-scale public–private innovation programmes.

This builds on the continuation of a new strategic industrial policy, with a clear focus on selected domains and markets, based on economic potential, societal challenges and the importance of strategic autonomy.

In line with this policy, four key domains are prioritised as essential for the Netherlands’ future economy and societal wellbeing:

• Digitalisation and AI

• Security and resilience

• Energy and climate technologies

• Life sciences and biotechnology

Within these domains, the government aims to deliberately build technological niche positions where the Netherlands can lead internationally.

Strengthening digital resilience

Digital resilience forms a distinct pillar within the coalition agreement. Cyberattacks, digital espionage and disinformation are recognised as direct threats to both the economy and democracy.

Key measures include:

• Rapid implementation of NIS2 and the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA);

• Stronger central governance of cybersecurity;

• Joint exercises involving government, SMEs and vital sectors;

• Intensified information sharing across public and private stakeholders.

Expanding cyber defence and intelligence capabilities

The coalition also announces a significant expansion of both defensive and offensive cyber capabilities, including dual-use technologies that can be deployed for both civilian and defence purposes, to counter threats originating from abroad. This includes the development of active cyber defence measures and a stronger focus on early threat detection.

Central to this effort is the creation of an integrated intelligence picture, based on data from a wide range of public and private organisations. To support this, the legal framework for data sharing with private parties will be strengthened, with strict safeguards to ensure sensitive data does not fall into the hands of foreign powers. Achieving this ambition requires a coordinated approach to monitoring and detection, built on close collaboration between intelligence and security services, the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the private sector and European partners.

Security Delta (HSD)

With our new strategy and more than 13 years of experience in organising execution power, Security Delta (HSD) is well positioned to contribute to the implementation of these ambitions. Together with its 300+ public and private partners, HSD has already built strong ecosystems around exactly these themes, from cybersecurity and digital resilience to innovation and strategic autonomy.

HSD is therefore well prepared to actively support the Netherlands in translating this coalition agreement into concrete action, now and in the years to come.

Photo: Istock.com/Alex Sholom