We are living in a time when everything seems to change at once. Geopolitical power shifts, the overexploitation of our planet, climate change and loss of biodiversity all overlap. Since World War II, the world’s population has quadrupled to around eight billion people — who on average consume several times more than a generation ago.… Continue reading The World in Transition
This article has been published on 20 August 2025 in iBestuur Introduction. Europe currently accounts for about a quarter of Big Tech’s global revenue. The United States, with a smaller population, uses significantly more Big Tech services per capita. If Europe were to reach a similar per-person usage level as the US, the European IT… Continue reading Europe must develop its own IT services
The Taskforce-Digital-Sovereign-Europe regularly publishes articles on Europe’s digital sovereignty. The following article was recently published in the Dutch journal iBestuur (https://ibestuur.nl/artikel/pleidooi-voor-minister-van-digitalisering-in-nieuw-kabinet/) With new elections and the formation of a new cabinet on the horizon, the political spotlight is once again turning to digitalisation. The Taskforce Digital Sovereign Europe spoke with Roel Bekker, former Secretary-General and… Continue reading A Minister for Digitalisation in the Next Dutch Cabinet
A future vision for a strong, cooperative continent The problem with superpowers. Today’s world order is being held hostage by three superpowers: the United States, Russia, and China. Each seems to believe the globe can be neatly divided into spheres of influence — Russia over Europe, the US over the Americas, and China over Asia.… Continue reading The United States of Europe
Introduction. This article is a chapter and update from the book The Digital Challenge for Europe (2021) and originally appeared in the book De Vloeibare Samenleving (2017). The digitalization of society is driving massive changes in the way people and organizations live and operate, which will eventually necessitate new forms of governance for societies. To better understand this transformation,… Continue reading The Fluid Society or How Digitalization Transforms Society
This article was published on 2 April 2025 in i-Bestuur as an opinion piece: https://ibestuur.nl/artikel/kan-europa-overleven-zonder-eigen-big-tech/ If Europe wants to survive economically in the digital age, it must develop its own large international Big Tech companies and a European digital ecosystem. Simplifying the many regulatory and fiscal barriers within Europe, along with creating a dynamic European capital market,… Continue reading Can Europe Survive Without Its Own Big Tech?
The attached article was published on February 28, 2025, in the magazine i-Bestuur as a so-called Podium article. https://ibestuur.nl/artikel/europa-heeft-dringend-een-digitale-raad-nodig/ Europe Urgently Needs a Digital Council The intense debate surrounding the digital era reveals a paradigm shift of unprecedented proportions, in which Europe is not at the forefront. In the U.S., with the might of Big Tech onboard,… Continue reading Europe Urgently needs a Digital Council
Introduction. The world stands at a tipping point. From geopolitical tensions to climate change, from the depletion of natural resources to the loss of biodiversity, the challenges are immense. The consequences – including growing migration flows, social unrest, and economic uncertainty – demand decisive leadership. The question is whether the superpowers, such as the United… Continue reading Superpowers: Obstacles or Keys to a Stable Future?
Below, GPT-4o offers a critical review of the concept of the Fluid Society, as well as several blogs on the website The Future of Our Digital Society: Reflections on The Fluid Society In a world where digitalization is no longer a choice but an unavoidable reality, the website The Fluid Society offers a critical perspective on the… Continue reading GPT-4o about “The Fluid Society”
In the United States, a number of IT billionaires are set to join Trump’s administration. Besides Elon Musk, Peter Thiel (PayPal, Facebook) and Ramaswamy (IT billionaire) will also be stepping in. Their role is intriguing: they are being given a free hand with the mission of making the government more efficient. This illustrates that Big… Continue reading Big Tech to govern
