Muriel Sinselmeijer, Project Manager Marketing and Communications at Centre of Excellence for Data Sharing & Cloud
Published in the June edition of the Gaia-X Magazine
Cloud sovereignty is at the heart of the recent activities of the Dutch Gaia-X Hub, represented by the Centre of Excellence for Data Sharing & Cloud (CoE-DSC). After years of focus on vision and principles, attention is now clearly shifting towards adoption, scalability and interoperability. The past months show that the Netherlands is not only contributing ideas but is also actively helping to build European solutions for a sovereign cloud.
Data Sharing Festival – Sovereignty: from principle to practice
During the Data Sharing Festival in Rotterdam, more than 300 professionals from the Netherlands and abroad came together for two days of sharp insights, open conversations, collaboration and concrete examples around the theme of sovereignty.
The festival highlighted that organisations increasingly require a cloud environment in which control over data, transparency and trustworthy governance are central. Gaia-X is seen as a crucial building block in achieving this. Sectors can only share data safely and responsibly when they jointly invest in shared frameworks such as the Gaia-X Trust Framework, interoperability and privacy-enhancing technologies.
The conclusion was clear and echoed throughout the event: action is needed now and the only way to success is through collaboration. Download the keynote presentations and watch the after movie, including a contribution by Gaia-X CTO Christoph Strnadl: Data Sharing Festival 2026 – Centre of Excellence for Data Sharing & Cloud.
Success for the Dutch team at Gaia-X Tech-X & Hackathon 2026 in Athens
For the third year in a row, a podium finish for CoE-DSC at the Gaia-X hackathon! The team won the first prize with the development of a neurosymbolic workflow that combines different types of AI to enable a smart search function in digital marketplaces, automatic checks on whether services are compatible (e.g. SaaS and PaaS), and the assessment of provider reliability. This contributes to trustworthy collaboration between services and strengthens European digital sovereignty in an innovative way.
Another successful Dutch contribution in Athens was the presentation of the Myrtus Trust Framework now being part of Gaia-X Danube, the new Gaia-X compliance system. This marks an important step towards standardisation and interoperability between systems: supporting trusted onboarding and verification of new participants in the ecosystem. The solution can be tested via an online environment (Swagger UI).
Data SVP!
With the recent launch of the Data Sharing Valorisation Programme (Data SVP!), the Netherlands is investing in scalable data spaces. The programme supports initiatives that are ready to grow and helps them strengthen adoption, maturity and interoperability.
By focusing on real use cases with real value, Data SVP! stimulates the development of data spaces that are not only technically robust but also economically and socially relevant. This aligns seamlessly with the broader European ambition to build sovereign, future-proof data ecosystems.
Driving force
In addition, the Netherlands is exploring the possibility of appointing a national organisation as a Gaia-X Digital Clearing House. This role is crucial: it acts as an independent party that verifies whether services comply with Gaia-X rules. A Dutch Clearing House would significantly accelerate and strengthen the adoption of sovereign cloud solutions in the Netherlands.
n short, the Dutch Gaia-X Hub is clearly moving from vision to realisation. Through technological innovation, national and international collaboration, and a strong focus on high-value use cases, the Netherlands is becoming a driving force in European cloud sovereignty.