Digital expertise at risk of disappearing from Parliament

Digital knowledge is in danger of disappearing from the Dutch House of Representatives. While cyberattacks are on the rise, AI is rapidly advancing, and Big Tech is being increasingly scrutinized, the politicians who have handled this portfolio are now placed low on the electoral lists—or not returning at all.

Barbara Kathmann (GroenLinks–PvdA) is the clearest example. Twice named the “most digitally aware MP,” Kathmann now ranks 32nd on her party’s list. However, with GroenLinks–PvdA polling around 23 seats, her return to Parliament is uncertain. She attributes her low placement to her Digital Affairs portfolio: important but invisible, without glamour, budget, or minister. The party’s manifesto does, however, give digitalization a remarkably broad and concrete place. Now that the parliamentary recess has begun and the campaign season has officially kicked off, it remains to be seen how high the party will place digitalization on its agenda.

Digital autonomy as a core theme

GroenLinks–PvdA advocates for digital autonomy and public control. The party warns that the Netherlands is too dependent on American and Chinese tech giants and calls for European alternatives—from chip manufacturing to a domestic “AI factory” in Groningen. Cloud services hosted on Dutch or European soil should also reduce dependency and strengthen the country’s digital sovereignty. These goals align with earlier initiatives like Wolken aan de horizon (“Clouds on the Horizon”), in which Kathmann and NSC MP Jesse Six Dijkstra called for greater investment in a sovereign digital infrastructure.

These ambitions are highly topical. A revision of the national cloud policy is expected by the end of this year. The State Secretary for Digitalization has also pledged to develop a national government cloud and reform public-sector IT. But on what timeline? According to Kathmann, “all warning lights are flashing red.” In practice, there are currently too few national or European alternatives that can match the quality and scalability of existing international providers. The gap between political ambition and technical reality highlights the magnitude of the challenge—especially now that the cabinet is in caretaker status, leaving the State Secretary with a major task but no clear timeline or budget.

Digital security and resilience

GroenLinks–PvdA positions itself as a driving force in the call for more European tech alternatives and investments. The party also presents strong cybersecurity proposals. It advocates greater investment in protecting and strengthening the cyber resilience of the Netherlands’ vital infrastructure, prioritizes privacy and data protection through effective enforcement and strong regulators, and calls for data portability—the ability to easily move data between services, promoting not only autonomy but also fair competition in the digital market. With these positions, GroenLinks–PvdA aims to show that digitalization is no longer a side issue but one of national security, democracy, and economic strength.

Political expertise fading from view

And yet, something doesn’t add up. While the party’s manifesto presents a broad digital agenda, in practice political expertise on this topic is disappearing from Parliament. Kathmann’s 32nd place on the list sidelines her despite her years of commitment to the issue. Her symbolic Prinsjesdag (Budget Day) action—wearing a hat shaped like a sea cable to highlight the urgent need for digital infrastructure investment—was telling: in The Hague, digitalization remains an issue often pushed aside, even when solutions are within reach.

Experience essential for the digital debate

At a time when cloud, AI, and digital infrastructure are central to geopolitics and the economy, the House of Representatives risks losing the experience needed for an informed debate. For companies in the digital sector—from global players to Dutch startups—this poses a major risk: policy could become overly ideological or ad hoc, without sufficient expertise to understand its practical and economic consequences.

Now that the parliamentary recess has begun, it remains to be seen how prominently the party will feature digitalization in its campaign. Wimar Bolhuis (GroenLinks–PvdA candidate no. 18) will today (October 7) argue at the Dutch Tech Debate how the Netherlands can remain a tech leader. Whether Bolhuis will also champion the party’s digital goals in Parliament remains uncertain.

A fragile knowledge base in a critical moment

The conclusion is clear: the political knowledge base is fragile, while the societal urgency is high. This makes it all the more important to engage early with new MPs, coalition negotiators, and policymakers—to ensure that the digital debate is conducted with the expertise it deserves.