THE HAGUE, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch government has issued a policy paper urging the European Union to take coordinated action to reduce its dependence on non-EU cloud service providers, warning of the mounting risks to digital sovereignty and national security.
In a policy document released last Friday, titled "Strengthening Cloud Sovereignty of Public Administrations," the Netherlands laid out a series of recommendations for the European Commission, which is expected to unveil two major proposals on EU cloud policy in early 2026.
While informal, the so-called "non-paper" reflects the Netherlands' growing urgency on the issue.
A recent investigation by the Dutch public broadcaster NOS revealed that over 20,000 Dutch institutions, including government bodies, infrastructure operators, schools, and hospitals, rely heavily on U.S. cloud providers.
Of the 1,722 public sector websites examined, every one used at least one American cloud service. Microsoft alone holds a dominant 60 percent share of the cloud services used in these institutions.
"Cloud is a critical enabler for our digital society and is used in almost every public administration," the Dutch government wrote in the document. "Large dependencies on a few select suppliers, without any other options, may pose significant risks to (national) security, the digital economy and the overall resilience of our society."
The Netherlands argued that such dependencies could jeopardize the continuity of digital public services, compromise fundamental rights, and affect the functioning of government.
The Netherlands is urging the commission to propose "a more coherent and harmonized approach at the EU level."
"It is therefore imperative that the EU and her member states take concrete and coordinated steps to become more independent in the use of cloud technologies by public administrations," it said.
The non-paper called for the development of a clear and consistent definition of cloud sovereignty, greater scope to prioritize sovereignty within EU public procurement guidelines, and the promotion of open-source applications and standards.
It also proposes the creation of a common European decision-making framework to help governments make informed choices when using public cloud services. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of making sufficient funding available for the development and deployment of these technologies.
"These measures are intended to encourage greater EU-level action to strengthen the sovereignty of governments in relation to cloud technologies," the Dutch government said in the non-paper.
A widely publicized incident involving the U.S. government and Microsoft sparked outrage in the Netherlands earlier this year.
Following U.S. sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, Microsoft blocked the email account of ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, a move widely perceived as an example of the United States leveraging its technological dominance for political ends, sparking strong reactions in Dutch political circles.
In March, the Dutch House of Representatives passed several motions calling on the government to reduce its dependence on American tech firms and to promote the development of European alternatives. Lawmakers are now pressing the cabinet for a concrete roadmap to protect the country's digital infrastructure and restore strategic control. ■
