From Digital Sovereignty to Smart Resilience: The Dutch Playbook Europe Needs
Europe’s debate on digital sovereignty has (almost) reached consensus on intent but not on execution.
The 2025 EU Declaration for European Digital Sovereignty made this explicit. It framed sovereignty not as isolation or protectionism, but as the ability to act autonomously while remaining globally connected. Politically elegant. Operationally incomplete.
The real challenge, as many critics rightly called out, isn’t ambition; it's implementation.
Digital sovereignty is not governed by a single factor. It depends on five interconnected and mutually dependent systems operating in tandem: technology, policy, investment, talent, and societal adoption. When one falls behind, sovereignty transforms into either dependence or procurement friction. That’s why so many “Buy European” debates stall: mandates arrive faster than viable alternatives.
This is where the Dutch approach of “smart resilience” stands out.
The Netherlands re-frames sovereignty as strategic relevance, being essential in crucial digital and industrial value chains, instead of pursuing the myth of complete autonomy. The goal isn’t to replace hyperscalers or global platforms overnight. Its goal is to ensure that Europe always has choice, control, and leverage where it counts most.
Importantly, this is not merely a theoretical proposition.
The Wennink Report, authored by former ASML CEO Peter Wennink, not only represents this mindset but also provides a pragmatic path for execution:
It lays out a ten-year trajectory with clearly defined investment requirements across AI, digital infrastructure, security, energy, and life sciences. But the report is equally clear about something less comfortable: these investments will only deliver results if they are sequenced and supported properly.
From a digital sovereignty perspective, this is the essence of smart resilience. Sovereignty isn’t achieved by announcing priorities or allocating budgets in isolation. It is built when policy choices, enabling conditions, and long-term investments reinforce each other—deliberately and over time.
At that point, the debate stops being philosophical and becomes practical: what actually makes Europe stronger?
One quote from Wennink's recent interview captures the entire philosophy:
“Strategic autonomy is a silly term. What matters is strategic relevance.”
The false conflict between protectionism and openness is nicely dispelled by that sentence.
In crucial industrial and digital systems, it re-frames sovereignty from self-sufficiency to resiliency, ensuring that Europe always has choice, control, and influence.
In actuality, sovereignty is something you engineer rather than something you declare.
The EU has articulated the what.
The Dutch “smart resilience” model offers a credible how.
Deeper Analysis + references:
The Dutch “Smart Resilience” Model: A Pragmatic Blueprint for EU Digital Sovereignty
Disclaimer: This post reflects my own opinions and my default dry humor,not the thoughts, strategies, or plans of my employer. Any perceived shade is purely accidental and absolutely not aimed at anyone in particular. Challenge me, disagree with me, or add your own wisdom in the comments.