Eastern Europe leads the way, the Netherlands looks on: time for digital ambition
I speak to Marloes Pomp the day after the Schoof Cabinet fell. "As the Netherlands, we were a well-organized digital country for a long time. We are quickly losing that status with zero ambition at the ministries. Now all files are also down." State Secretary Zolt Szabó had ambitious plans in preparation, but to realize them, you need a multi-year process, support and money, Pomp argues.
What are your biggest concerns regarding digital development?
"That's really digital sovereignty. We are just incredibly vulnerable within Europe. That applies not only to government, but to almost every business. That's not to say we can never use Microsoft or AWS again, but a plan B is just not there right now. Without action, essential services, such as payments, ports and hospitals, are at risk."
How should that digital sovereignty come about?
"I think we need to move toward a decentralized digital infrastructure. The European Commission is ambitious and is making good plans for this, but implementation is stalling in member states such as the Netherlands. France and Germany are much more proactive. For example, I was recently in Mannheim where a large AI hub has been set up with government and business investment. Germany has a real ambition to build the largest AI hub in Europe and could take the lead in Europe in building a European digital infrastructure. France even has plans to build its own hyperscaler along the lines of the U.S. Web giants. Some say this involves state aid. I don't think this is necessarily negative. In Europe we sometimes need to move away from rigid competition thinking a bit more if we want to compete on a global level."
Is it mainly about a European infrastructure or also about digital services?
"I don't think it's about the services. The problem now is mainly in the infrastructure and a lack of direction. We cannot rely on one country or party to solve that problem. A coordinating body should direct those decentralized base layers. The dissolution of the Dutch Blockchain Coalition, late last year, is therefore a strategic miss. The discussion around blockchain has always focused too much on cryptocurrencies, but the blockchain community has a lot of experience in setting up decentralized, modular and scalable infrastructures. That knowledge is very relevant now but is in danger of being lost."
Will that digital sovereignty come eventually?
"It's really crucial to sort that out. Almost no organization in Europe can survive if we don't get that right, but a lot of people don't realize that. We've been in a war for a long time, only it's not soldiers walking down the street, it's taking place in the digital domain. The urgency is felt much more in Eastern Europe on the borders with Russia. In Romania, they see daily the importance of digital security as a result of autonomous drones getting lost from Ukraine. That leads to immediate action, for example, at the defense department there. In Croatia, the government has made a large-scale commitment to AI education from elementary school, and Lithuania has taken a serious approach to the security of physical and digital infrastructure. The Netherlands needs to get rid of its digital arrogance by thinking we are leading the way. We need more ambition and decisiveness, as well as investment. The Netherlands can really learn from what is taking place in Eastern Europe. It would be great if we do get a new cabinet soon, that there will just be a serious department with a minister for digital affairs. We have to make meters here.
During Data Expo, Marloes Pomp will give an inspiring session on data sovereignty, collaboration and the power of decentralized infrastructure. Don't miss it: Wednesday, September 10 from 1:15 to 2:00 pm. Be there and order your free tickets here.
