Should we build an 'Airbus for the cloud' now that the House of Representatives is pressing the stop button?
- Nathan Kotek
- Sep 15
- 5 min read
March 18, 2025
Reposting article Computable: Clear the way for EU cloud now that the House of Representatives presses the stop button
DEC Alliance: Strong, Together, Sovereign
Journalist, Alfred Monterie
The relocation of government IT services to the American cloud must be halted. A majority in the House of Representatives has decisively put a stop to this. A motion by Barbara Kathmann (GreenLeft-Labour Party) was adopted on Tuesday. The cabinet is instructed to prevent unnecessary IT migrations to American tech giants. An exception can only be made if government services are compromised.
The House of Representatives, from left to right, recognizes the significant risks the Netherlands faces if "all" government software, including email and data storage, runs on American computers. This concern has resulted in eight adopted motions aimed at increasing digital sovereignty. The House of Representatives stated that the government must prioritize digital autonomy more strongly.
According to Ludo Baauw, CEO of Intermax and ambassador of the Dutch tech ecosystem DEC-Alliance , there's a clear sense of urgency in Dutch politics. The cloud industry is pleased that opportunities are now opening up for European alternatives. "Finally, justice," sighs Baauw. "It took a long time, but in The Hague, there's a widespread understanding that putting all our eggs in one basket is wrong. If we buy everything in the US, that not only means a huge risk but also a massive outflow of money, which harms our self-reliance."
European alternatives
Pieter Lacroix, managing director of Leaseweb Netherlands, also sees European alternatives to the services of American hyperscalers gaining significant attention. He believes that replacing American technology with European technology isn't nearly as exciting as many people think, at least when it comes to standard solutions. Solutions from Big Tech companies are often chosen for their convenience, but that could change. "There are already plenty of European alternatives." Moreover, the European Commission is encouraging the development of a next generation of cloud infrastructure and services. Under the auspices of Ipcei-Cis, an alternative to American hyperscalers is emerging.
Intermax CEO Baauw, like Lacroix, argues that the EU is perfectly capable of providing its own basic services, connections, identity management, virtual servers, and development platforms. Even for a database-as-a-service solution, for example, there's no need to turn to an American vendor. However, the offering is fragmented. A complete catalog of services offered by the likes of Microsoft, AWS, and Google is lacking.
Airbus model
That's why, according to Baauw, the EU should abandon the Airbus model for the cloud. Airbus assembles aircraft using components sourced from various European countries. These are then centrally assembled in Toulouse. Airbus has surpassed Boeing.
Baauw: "That's theoretically also possible with cloud services. Besides the supply side, there's still a lot to be done on the demand side. Baauw: "The central government needs to take charge. It needs to be clearly indicated which services are considered essential and what's 'nice to have.' And what's truly important to the government."
Baauw and Lacroix believe an alternative could emerge in the foreseeable future in the form of a European government cloud encompassing a wide range of SaaS services. They certainly see opportunities to set up digital workspaces using software other than Microsoft 365. Solutions could also be devised to keep government emails and confidential data out of the Trump administration's grasp.
Not so simple
Michiel Steltman, recently retired as director of DINL (Digital Infrastructure Netherlands) but still active for the ECP Platform for the Information Society, believes the solution isn't as simple as many in The Hague assume. "It's wrong to think that choosing a European alternative for data storage will solve the entire problem. It's not simply a matter of offering another IAAs—infrastructure-as-a-service. Microsoft, Amazon, and Google also offer Paas solutions; platforms where the service provider also manages the database. And the fastest-growing use is SaaS, where the provider manages everything, from hardware to application."
"Trying to migrate to something from the Netherlands or the EU in a blind panic is simply not going to work," Steltman warns. He explains: "The reality is much more mundane. It's not the government itself that's choosing the cloud, but the vendors have started delivering existing technology as-a-service, and the government is forced to follow suit. Office has gradually transitioned from desktops and dedicated servers to SaaS. Oracle has transitioned from licenses to Paas. It's still the same functionality, which in 2025 will no longer be delivered on CDs but via UTP. Migrations are essentially updates and upgrades with an internet connection."
The image of the government as a cloud consumer is wrong
Steltman also corrects the perception that the government uses IAAs from tech giants. "IAAs is located in the private government cloud," he says. "Other cloud services that, with a bit of goodwill, could be classified as IAAs are often simply part of the contracted applications. These aren't purchased separately, but as part of applications." According to Steltman, the image of the government as a cloud consumer is therefore incorrect.
He says: "The idea that everything can run on EU infrastructure today or tomorrow is wrong. You can't say, 'Just rip up the contracts and replace Azure and Oracle with servers using Dutch technology.' Or, 'Just choose a Dutch supplier that provides you with a 100% Office equivalent. If only it were that simple.'"
Become cloud-ready first
Steltman emphasizes the need for the government to truly become cloud-ready before it can even transition. Modern digitalization is essential. This means enabling the reuse of generic infrastructure, services, and data based on a government-wide architecture. According to Steltman, this process is only just beginning and must therefore be accelerated.
The central government therefore rarely purchases IAA commercially, as it has ample resources of its own. Consider, for example, ODC SSC-ICT. The primary focus is on acquiring Paas and Saas. If the Netherlands opts for non-American alternatives, the Paas and Saas offerings from the EU will need to improve. Because the higher up the software stack, the greater the functional gap between American hyperscalers and EU cloud service providers.
Public-private partnership
Steltman agrees with the House of Representatives that solutions will be found soon for truly critical data. "Think of emails, which always contain confidential information. It's also essential that collaboration with Dutch market participants is initiated, because the traditional tendering dynamic with parties on both sides of the table urgently needs to be broken."
He envisions a public-private partnership in which the central government's IT strategy is deepened along the lines of the national Nora architecture. "Only this way will there be clarity in the market about what the government truly needs in a cloud-ready future." The core of Nora (Dutch Government Reference Architecture) consists of binding architectural agreements that ensure interoperability (the collaboration of systems) and higher service quality.
