In Amsterdam on Tuesday, the Netherlands' parliament approved motions urging the government to decrease reliance on U.S. software companies. One motion involved establishing a Dutch-controlled cloud services platform. Lawmakers highlighted the increased urgency due to shifting U.S. relations under President Donald Trump.
Marieke Koekkoek from the pro-European Volt party, author of one motion, expressed concerns about having individuals like Trump, Zuckerberg, and Musk oversee European data. The approved motions also addressed reconsidering the use of Amazon's web services for Dutch internet domain hosting and promoting alternatives to U.S. software in public tenders.
The day following the vote, there were calls for the European Commission to establish a sovereign fund for investing in European technology and enforce a "Buy European" policy. Bert Hubert, a Dutch technology advocate, emphasized the importance of the initial steps taken, especially in making agencies disclose risks related to U.S. cloud providers.
The discussion touched on potential implications, such as Microsoft cutting ties with the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court following U.S. criticism of the court after it issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Amazon and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comments.