By Husky - Own work, CC BY 4.0,
The parliament of the Netherlands passed several motions urging the government to lessen its reliance on American software companies on Tuesday. This includes the proposal to establish a cloud services platform that would be managed entirely within the Netherlands.
Previous attempts at such initiatives have stalled due to the absence of viable European alternatives; however, lawmakers indicated that the evolving relationship with the United States during Donald Trump’s presidency has intensified the urgency of this matter.
One motion emphasized the risks associated with total dependence on American technology giants, stating that it poses a threat to national autonomy and cybersecurity. It urged the government to initiate a tender for a national cloud service fully under Dutch control.
Another motion requested a reassessment of the decision to utilize Amazon’s web services for hosting the Netherlands’ internet domain. Additionally, a third motion advocated for the proactive development of alternatives to American software and the prioritization of European companies in public procurement processes.
This parliamentary vote followed a day after numerous European tech companies appealed to the European Commission to establish a sovereign infrastructure fund aimed at investing in European technology, including cloud infrastructure, along with a “Buy European” mandate.
