THE HAGUE, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch parliament adopted several motions on Wednesday aimed at reducing reliance on United States cloud services and boosting investments in Dutch and European alternatives.

During a debate on government ICT migration abroad, Marieke Koekkoek of the center-left Volt party introduced a motion to explore alternatives to American cloud providers in partnership with the European Union and accelerate investments in European cloud infrastructure.

American cloud providers dominate the European market, and American legislation, such as the CLOUD Act, can grant the U.S. government access to European data, Koekkoek said. "Europe's strategic digital autonomy is essential for economic, technological, and national security."

Another motion by Hanneke van der Werf of the D66 party called for prioritizing European companies in tenders for vital ICT services, citing national security risks associated with outsourcing infrastructure abroad. "The Netherlands and Europe must stand on their own two feet in energy, defense, and ICT," she said.

Barbara Kathmann of GroenLinks-PvdA (GreenLeft Labor) successfully pushed for a motion opposing unnecessary cloud migration to American tech firms. She urged the government to establish a national cloud under full Dutch management for secure communication and data storage.

A motion by Jesse Six Dijkstra of New Social Contract (NSC) and five other MPs emphasized the need for the Dutch government to use Dutch or at least European cloud services to prevent dependency on U.S. firms. "This dependency can be used by the United States as an economic lever," he warned.

Although the adoption of these motions signals strong parliamentary support, the Dutch government is not obligated to implement them. Enditem

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