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Good news: we see more digital points in the programs than ever! AI legislation is of course a hot topic. With the EU AI Act, a new path has been taken, which we now have to respond to nationally. Furthermore, there is a lot of talk about autonomy, privacy, and some parties even want to establish a digital ministry. Below we look at the largest parties in the polls, but we will also discuss notable points from the smaller parties at the end. This way, you make a choice during the elections that is aware of IT.
The larger parties
PVV
First of all the PVV: still the largest party in the polls, and not averse to (racist) AI use. However, there is little else about it in the program: the party mainly mentions AI pragmatically as a means to reduce administrative pressure in, among other things, healthcare; there is no broad digital investment agenda. AI Coalition 4 NL
Specific, detailed digital policy frameworks remain limited or absent. For CIOs and CISOs, this mainly means uncertainty about the direction and pace of digitization in the public sector under PVV guidance; the priority seems to lie elsewhere.
GroenLinks-PvdA
A party that places solidarity and the social high on its agenda also makes public control a guiding principle in the digital world. GL-PvdA wants to do this with a Minister of Digital Affairs and a Digital Accountability Act to centralize and better budget the national ICT.
The government and education are increasingly focusing on open standards and open-source software/hardware; users must actively enable AI features (opt-in), tracking and misleading algorithms will be locked; data portability must be arranged "with one click". This indicates for suppliers tenders with strong open-source/standards requirements and more emphasis on explainability and privacy-by-design. Lastly, the party wants a public digital ecosystem as an alternative to Big Tech.
CDA
The CDA wants to make the Netherlands digitally more independent. In their program, we read plans for GPT-NL - a Dutch language model as an alternative to American AIs - and for European data centers and an AI commissioner to drive innovation.
The party wants to bring AI applications into the government, for example at the Tax and Customs Administration and implementing organizations, to improve service delivery. Expect a practical digitization agenda focused on efficiency, autonomy, and national infrastructure.
VVD
The VVD heavily invests in growth technology: AI, chips, and quantum. Specifically, the party wants an AI gigafactory (on top of a "normal" AI factory in Groningen) and an AI hub modeled after Station F. More capital will be available for start-ups and scale-ups, and the government must "outdo Estonia" in terms of digitization—with large-scale retraining of civil servants and stricter standardization.
Furthermore, intelligence and security services will be further equipped and powers modernized; cyber threats and disinformation require "openness where possible". Finally: investing in (data) infrastructure, including a new submarine cable. For IT teams, this sounds like: more public demand for AI capacity, stricter security requirements, but also greater market opportunities for Dutch software makers. VVD
D66
D66 opts for the 'master-over-own-bits' principle: digital autonomy for citizens, for the Netherlands and for the EU, using European alternatives and the government as a launching customer. The party also wants a minister for Technology and Innovation and explicitly talks about 'value-driven, responsible AI' with strong regulators.
Additionally, the party wants to focus on open source where possible, and measures against deepfakes and addictive algorithms. For IT decision-makers, this means more emphasis on transparency, interoperability, and ethical use of data.
JA21
JA21 has grown almost as quickly as digitization itself. The party seems to want to strike a golden mean between growth and legislation. The party advocates for a national cloud for public services, stricter cybersecurity standards, and tax benefits for R&D.
AI and data infrastructure must remain innovative, but not entirely in the hands of Big Tech. Expect that JA21, like CDA, values sovereignty and security higher than pure speed of innovation.
Notable points from smaller parties
BBB wants to anchor digital literacy in the curriculum and explore the possibility of a National Investment Bank that provides risk-bearing capital to, among others, deep tech/AI. It mentions a role for Defense in a Dutch AI network with regional hubs.
Volt scores highest in the NLdigital election matrix for digitization; pro-EU and distinctly digitally oriented in all areas (AI, cybersecurity, digital government). The party wants, like other small parties NSC and SP, a Ministry of Digital Affairs.
But only one party makes the digital world the main topic: the Pirate Party. The party has been around for a while but has never entered the parliament. It advocates for 'E-democracy' and makes privacy, autonomy, and knowledge sharing via the web its focal points. If you want IT to really be on the agenda of the parliament, you don't have to look far
The elections and IT
Much is at stake on October 29. At least, that’s what the parties say. Well, we agree: there is also a lot to choose from within IT in these elections. We don’t know if we have helped you with your choice, but we do hope you have a bit more clarity about the parties. The only thing that remains now is: vote!
