“True digital sovereignty can only exist when you combine open source and open standards. Full stop.”

The Dutch are known for building bikes and canals — but these days they’re also building digital sovereignty. In this episode, we sit down with Fabrice Mous (Nextcloud) to explore why the Netherlands is becoming one of Europe’s open source hotspots. From national IT policy shifts to real-world adoption in ministries and municipalities, this is a tour of how openness is reshaping government, collaboration, and trust.

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The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of Collabora Productivity or its affiliates. The content is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered official guidance or fact-checked technical documentation.

0:00 Intro
0:20 Podcast Intro 1:07 Snapshot of Nextcloud in NL 4:04 Background & Civil Service
5:28 Open Unless Policy
6:59 Buzz in the NL? 9:23 1st vs 2nd Wave? 10:57 Enterprise Day The Hague
13:06 Microsoft & Sovereignty Washing 14:16 Aren't proprietary vendors compliant? 15:13 Dutch company + Proprietary Software = Sovereign? 17:07 Future of NL Open Source
18:20 Does it need more polish? 19:11 Call to Action