The security services state the following about the threat assessment for 2022:
State actors are increasingly threatening national security interests in various ways. This is partly due to important geopolitical developments. The most striking and worrying development is the war in Ukraine, which touches on several national security interests. The Netherlands is also increasingly confronted with threats to economic security. This threat has existed for a long time, but has become even more pronounced in recent years.
According to the security services, the economical freedom is threathen in three ways:
- Vital processes are vulnerable to state activities due to acts of preparation for sabotage, the consequences of sabotage elsewhere in Europe and investments by foreign parties.
- There is an increased risk of abuse of strategic dependencies in relation to energy, critical raw materials and technical standards.
- Knowledge and technology leaks or is stolen because the Netherlands is an attractive target due to our dynamic and competitive knowledge economy and high-quality knowledge in sectors in which the Netherlands leads the way.
According to the services, the means used by state actors include cyber attacks, investments in companies, working with insiders (employees, students), (illegal) export of technology, purchasing and tendering processes, and laws and regulations.
To tackle the threat the minister of Justice and Domestic Affairs sent this letter to the House of Representatives (de Tweede Kamer).
Source: AIVD, MIVD en NCTV (2022), Dreigingsbeeld Statelijke Actoren 2. Zie ook: https://www.aivd.nl/documenten/publicaties/2022/11/28/dreigingsbeeld-statelijke-actoren-dbsa-2