Organisations have 4 proposals to cabinet formulators in plea to put digitization higher on the Netherlands’ political agenda 

It is important for the new cabinet to make digitization a visible and full part of the positive agenda for the Netherlands. Initiator KB and more than 2,000 organisations are advocating this. In November, they delivered a letter with this appeal to the cabinet formulator and party leaders Rob Jetten (D66) and Henri Bontenbal (CDA).  

Digitization 

The organisations behind the letter are working together to ensure that the ever-increasing digitization continues to align with an open, trustworthy and inclusive society. According to the signatories, digitization brings not only challenges but also great opportunities, such as innovation, democratic strengthening and equal access to information. "This issue is too important not to have a place at the coalition table in the coming weeks," say the senders. 

Proposals for the coalition 

The organisations make four proposals to the cabinet formulator:  

1. A broad societal approach to digitization, protecting and strengthening public values such as access, pluralism and transparency, and rights such as privacy and copyright. 
2. Frameworks for and governance of digital sovereignty, in which the Netherlands takes responsibility for the independence of and investment in public digital infrastructures as well as for the digital public space with regard to commercial platforms and Big Tech. 
3. A Minister of/for Digital Affairs who oversees digital developments and safeguards public values from an independent position within the cabinet. 
4. Structural focus on digital inclusion, digital literacy and digital citizenship, media literacy and knowledge of artificial intelligence, as a basis for full participation in democracy. 

The signatory organisations believe that the design of our digital infrastructure determines who can participate in society, who has access to knowledge and which public values predominate. "This requires a broad societal approach in which values such as access, transparency and pluralism are firmly embedded.

The signatory organisations:  

Alliantie Digitaal Samenleven (The Digital Society Alliance) 
PublicSpaces 
Dutch Media Literacy Network 
Dutch Digital Heritage Network 
SURF 
NPO 
Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision  
Kennisnet 
SIVON 
Dutch Reading Foundation 
Reading and Writing Foundation 
Centre of Expertise for Creative Innovation 
Sectorraad Praktijkonderwijs 
PO-Raad 
VO-Raad 
The Netherlands Association of VET Colleges 
MBO digitaal 
Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences  
The Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends  
SETUP 
Open State Foundation 
Amnesty International 
Waag Futurelab 
Samen Digitaal Innoveren  
Dutch Association of Public Libraries 
Dutch University Libraries & National Library