So there is work to be done, concludes Stef Blok, Member of the European Court of Auditors. “The Netherlands performs above the European average, but we are still not among the absolute leaders.”
Countries like Malta, Denmark and other Baltic states are quoted with the absolute maximum. “But that can keep us sharp,” says Blok. ‘You often see that, for example, the Baltic states – which had to build an entire government in a short time after they were no longer part of Russia – used the initial backlog by setting it up fully automatically. You can see it. On the other hand, there is also Denmark, which in many respects is comparable to the Netherlands.’
What could be better?
Blok points out again that the Netherlands performs above average, but notes that in the Netherlands, for example, it is difficult to initiate district court proceedings electronically. “Which many small business owners have to deal with when they need money, for example.”
According to Blok, a report like this ensures that the Netherlands is put in front of a mirror. “This shows where we are doing well,” he continues. ‘Something that often applies to the Netherlands, but this also shows us where there is room for improvement. There is often a European advantage, for example if you want to do business across borders as a company. Or access the online business register, you name it. Then it’s good if all this is well organized in Europe, also in terms of automation.’
To fail
However, while the Netherlands is above the European average in overall digitalisation, the Netherlands is below the average in terms of digitalisation for companies. According to Blok, there is also an explanation for this: ‘On the one hand, an explanation can be found in online access to the judiciary, and another area where improvement is needed is electronic identification. We have become accustomed to the Tax and Customs Administration, but it can be applied more broadly.’