Digitalisation in the Netherlands has evolved into one of the most decisive forces driving societal change. It shapes how citizens interact with government, how public services are designed, how decisions are made and how fundamental rights are protected. Yet digitalisation is still too often treated as a technical or organisational issue, when in reality it goes to the heart of governance, the rule of law and public accountability.
The current debate on the Dutch Digitalisation Strategy (NDS) illustrates how this tension is becoming increasingly visible. Ambition and urgency are clearly present, but the question of how digitalisation should be structurally organised remains largely abstract.
An urgent but complex task
The Netherlands does not lack digital plans, programmes or policy agendas. The NDS marks a clear attempt to reduce fragmentation and to approach digitalisation across government as a shared responsibility (blog NDS). Themes such as cloud services, data sharing, artificial intelligence and digital resilience are presented as preconditions for a well-functioning government and economy.
At the same time, administrative reality remains stubborn. Digital issues are spread across ministries, tiers of government and executive agencies, often without a clear mandate or decisive authority. Calls for stronger central coordination, for example through a Minister for Digital Affairs, reflect an administrative necessity. Digitalisation is simply too closely intertwined with other policy domains to remain optional.
Investing without immediately visible returns
A key challenge lies in the way digitalisation is approached financially. Public investment in digital infrastructure is still too often viewed as a major cost item rather than as a strategic investment. The responsible caretaker State Secretary for Digitalisation, Eddie van Marum, recently communicated an initial estimate of the costs of implementing the National Digitalisation Strategy (NDS). This estimate amounts to EUR 950 million and is a preliminary figure based on the largest financial projects per NDS component.
Set against this are benefits that are diffuse, indirect or difficult to quantify. More efficient public services, improved information management, the prevention of societal harm and stronger legal protection do not easily translate into traditional, financially substantiated business cases.
The result is a persistent paradox: everyone recognises that digitalisation is indispensable, yet there is discomfort about the scale and duration of the required investment. Unless digitalisation is explicitly framed as a long-term investment in public infrastructure, it remains vulnerable to shifting political priorities and budgetary fluctuations.
Coordination requires more than political attention
The recent strengthening of the central government CIO system underlines that improved coordination is essential to realise digital ambitions. Effective governance of digitalisation requires more than political attention. It requires institutional embedding. That means clear responsibilities, enforceable agreements, transparent decision-making and structural accountability. Without these elements, digitalisation depends on individual projects and temporary programmes, with all the associated risks.
Digital autonomy as a geopolitical reality
In addition, digitalisation is no longer a purely national matter. Geopolitical tensions, dependence on non-European technology providers and increasing cyber threats have turned digital autonomy into a strategic issue. The focus on sovereign cloud solutions and European digital ecosystems is therefore not an ideological choice, but a response to real risks relating to control, access to data and the continuity of public services.
In this context, digital sovereignty does not mean that everything must be organised nationally or publicly. It means that governments make conscious choices about where control is necessary and how public values are safeguarded in legal and technical terms.
Digitalisation is not automation
Underlying these discussions is a more fundamental question: what do we actually mean by digitalisation? Too often, it is reduced to digitising existing processes or introducing new systems. In reality, digitalisation redesigns the functioning of public institutions themselves. Data and algorithms shape decision-making, digital systems determine access to rights and technology influences the balance of power between government, market and citizen. Digitalisation is therefore neither neutral nor optional. Those who design digital infrastructure make choices about transparency, control and fairness.
Lessons from the past: infrastructure requires institutions
The Netherlands has faced comparable challenges before. The construction of the railway network, the Delta Works and the centuries-old system of water authorities were not merely technical achievements, but long-term societal projects. They required cooperation between government, academia, industry and citizens, as well as standardisation, sustainable funding and clear governance. The water authorities in particular offer a relevant example. They demonstrate how technically complex infrastructure can be governed as a public good that transcends political preferences. Safety and continuity have always been central.
Towards digital water authorities
Perhaps this also offers a key to the future of digitalisation. Our national digital infrastructure has acquired a societal significance comparable to water management. This calls for governance that structurally connects technology, law and public values. The concept of water authorities can serve as inspiration: not as a new tier of government, but as an organising principle in which responsibility, funding and supervision are sustainably embedded. The focus should not be on innovation for its own sake, but on reliability, security and public oversight.
If a suitable name with historical resonance is still needed, I suggest introducing the term “Digital Authorities”.
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