INCA’s Contribution to the KVS Preadviezen 2025
INCA member Inge Graef from Tilburg University has contributed to the KVS Preadviezen 2025, an annual collection of expert policy reports, with an article titled “How to make the Netherlands less dependent on Big Tech.”
KVS is the oldest association of economists in the Netherlands. Each year, it commissions scholarly reports (known in Dutch as preadviezen) on a specific theme, intending to connect academic insights to policy recommendations.
This year’s theme was ‘Openness in Times of Geopolitical Fragmentation.’ Inge Graef contributes to it by reviewing the legislation adopted by Europe in recent years to control the power of major technology companies and by addressing the question of what the Netherlands can do to reduce the dependence of government organisations, businesses, and citizens on Big Tech.
Building on the research carried out within the INCA framework, the researcher highlights three key ideas:
• It is advisable to continue strengthening cooperation within the Dutch Platform for Cooperation of Digital Supervisors to avoid fragmentation in the enforcement of European legislation.
• To provide citizens with a more balanced view of the expected effects of the legislation, the national government, regulators, and consumer organisations should communicate more actively about the underlying long-term objectives.
• It is important for the government to support the development of alternatives, ensuring that digital independence is not subordinated to short-term advantages such as ease of use.
The KVS publication was presented at a public event on 1 December in The Hague. The Preadviezen were presented to European Commissioner for Climate, Net-Zero and Clean Growth Wopke Hoekstra, who delivered a keynote speech.
The event also featured three panel discussions with the authors of the collection, officials from the European Commission, and members of the House of Representatives, moderated by Maartje Schulz and Robert Dur. INCA member Inge Graef spoke alongside Witte Wijsmuller and Jantine Zwinkels on issues related to Big Tech.
More information on Graef’s contribution and the full KVS Preadviezen 2025 publication can be found at the following links:
– https://research.tilburguniversity.edu/en/publications/hoe-maken-we-nederland-minder-afhankelijk-van-de-big-tech/
– https://kvsweb.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/KVS-Preadviezen-2025.pdf
