Pieter Omtzigt

#DC4EU partners Stefan Liström and Evelien Renders presented the progress of the DC4EU large-scale pilot (#LSP) on #educationalcredentials such as #openbadges and #microcredentials, #professionalqualifications and the use case pilot of the worldwide educational identity federation #eduGAIN within the #walletecosystem and the importance of #interoperability within the wallet and #credentialecosystem at this year's GÉANT conference #TNC24 in Rennes, France at the TF-EDU task force meeting. Interoperability is one of the core aspects of the wallet ecosystem across national borders and different sectors, such as #education and #socialsecurity and the various technical solutions and implementations of the wallet components that will coexist in the future. 

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Far-right Dutch government applies opt-out for EU migration policies based on self-created asylum seeker problems. The main societal issues are the result of sloppy policies for housing market, healthcare, education and labour force by previous liberal party as well as intentional migration for low-wages labour in agricultural and logistics sectors through exploitation of people from Poland, Romania, Bulgaria 🙈🙈 Best advice to the selfish Dutch: hand your economic activities of these sectors over to Poland, Romania, Bulgaria etc this will solve your migration problems, housing crisis, CO2 disposition, cruel bio-industry, tendency to exploit others and negative sentiment towards foreigners

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The next phase of the Enterprise Europe Network has started: the new call was published on 25th April on the EU's Funding & Tenders Portal.   @SocEntEU #EENCanHelp #EISMEA

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Western countries are rapidly evolving into police states. This is the description of “police state” according to Wikipedia: “A police state describes a state whose government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. There is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive, and the deployment of internal security and police forces play a heightened role in governance.” Pay attention! This is defining the current reality of pro-Palestinian people in many countries. The majority is not aware of the erosion in civil rights in these countries. The only way to survive this is to engage in political life, by establishing new political parties, movements and alliances. Civil action will not be sufficient on its own. This is not just about Gaza and the Palestinians anymore. This is about the world you, me and our children will live in.

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🚨Reality Check voor NGO's: Nederlandse Bezuinigingen en de Wakker Schudden The recent budget cuts by the Dutch government have raised serious concerns among NGOs, especially regarding the impact on marginalized communities. However, these reactions point to two crucial issues in the sector: 1️⃣ Dependency on Government Funding Many NGOs rely heavily on government support, making them vulnerable to policy shifts. Diversifying funding sources could build resilience and ensure they can continue serving communities, even amidst budget fluctuations. In my experience, impactful community support comes from genuine engagement and understanding local needs, not just financial backing. 2️⃣ Disconnect Between International NGOs and Local Realities in the Global South While the Dutch Ministry has redirected funds to support institutions in the Global South, significant issues persist in how these funds are managed by international NGOs. Many of these organizations funnel resources into short-term projects that, while technically long enough to meet government requirements, often serve more to enhance the NGOs' own profiles than to address community needs. A substantial portion of funding is allocated to "strategic partnerships" or local NGO development rather than genuine community-driven initiatives. This mismanagement results in resources being diverted away from local needs and into the operational budgets of these NGOs, fostering dependency rather than building sustainable local capacity. Additionally, international NGOs often lack direct oversight of their partners' activities on the ground, leading to poor tracking of funds and an incomplete understanding of project impacts. Poverty narratives are frequently employed to secure funding, yet the resources rarely trickle down to the communities most in need. While these projects claim to be independently evaluated, assessments are often influenced by funding agencies' expectations, producing overly favorable reports that obscure the realities on the ground. Consequently, much of the funding intended for marginalized communities fails to create meaningful, lasting change, being absorbed instead in NGO self-development rather than genuine local progress. Why Foreign Aid Still Matters Despite budget cuts, strategic foreign aid remains vital for promoting stability, economic growth, and self-sufficiency in recipient countries in global majority. By addressing the root causes of poverty and instability, this approach not only meets ethical obligations rooted in colonial history but also creates long-term benefits for Dutch society and the global community. Aid that builds infrastructure, governance, and economic opportunities helps reduce dependency, open new markets, and foster a more stable, interconnected world—ultimately benefiting both donor and recipient nations. #DutchBudgetCuts #NGOFunding #ForeignAid #GlobalSouth #SustainableDevelopment #ImpactfulAid #SocialJustice

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🇪🇺'Hearing Marathon’ kicking off Today the European Parliament will start its confirmation hearings of the 26 Commissioners-designate presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the 2024-2029 mandate. There are several reasons to closely watch this process: 📢The potential gap between VDL's Guidelines and the Mission Letters she sent to her Commissioners: The European Policy Centre and eulytix found that in the area of democracy and European values, about 10% of the commitments in the Guidelines are not adequately covered by any of the portfolios translated into the Mission Letters: https://lnkd.in/gYZNuPUB 📢The structure of the new College of Commissioners: With a new governance structure intending to bring down silos in the Commission, there is a risk that the new portfolio’s cover everything and nothing at the same time, leaving VDL space to divide and conquer and everything becoming ‘Chefsache'. A case in point is Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič’portfolio, who will lead the EC's work on "a new economic security doctrine”. This will need to be a 360 approach in order to prioritize advanced sectors of strategic importance for the EU. 📢The role of the European Parliament and more specifically the role of the EPP: Besides the EPP occupying 14 seats in the European Council and 15 in the College of Commissioners, it also plays the role of kingmaker in the European Parliament with a majority of 188 seats thus dominating all three institutions. Will it position itself as part of the broader coalition of S&D, RE and the Greens (that jointly supported VDL’s re-election) or will it continue to mirror global tendencies as we have seen in the past weeks with the EPP supporting budget amendments coming from the far right? One thing is for sure, with the outcome of tomorrow's US elections looming large over the EU, there will be no honeymoon for the VDL-II Commission. Watch our questions to the new Commissioners here 👇 Thanks to all colleagues who participated and to Wael Maâninou for the video and your efforts to get us all together! Eric Maurice Johannes Greubel Brooke Moore Xheimina Dervishi Madda Henry Magbity Liza Saris Helena Hahn Danielle Brady Arnaldo Mina Mendoza Thanos Dellatolas Giulia Torchio Almut Möller Emma Woodford Kel Nkondock

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10% of research collaborations between Belgium and China were on critical technologies and with a Chinese institute that has close links to the military. In the last two decades, the collaborations with a military character have increased three times as fast as the total collaborations with China, as you can see in the graph below (the collaborations in 2001 are set to 100 to compare the evolution). These observations are some of the main findings of the article by me and my co-authors Sara Van Hoeymissen and cind du bois that was recently published in European Security. In the article, we argue that China's increased power in the knowledge domain spills over to the military domain. We complement our bibliometric analysis with two case studies to make the links more tangible. Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eH36qUtf

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I have written a new article! This time I gave it a bit more of an analytical aspects about topics I find correlate.

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How could digital identity improve travel? I found this interview with Annet Steenbergen to be insightful and informative in giving answers to this question. I found the following points particularly valuable: - the value of government issuance to obtain a high level of assurance - the ease of providing accurate data with digital solutions - the privacy challenges of paper Did you find anything else particularly interesting? Let me know in comments! ⬇ Thank you Annet! https://lnkd.in/gARrSpyM

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"Cooperative public governance on EU priorities" Attending an interesting forum and workshop today initiated by the European Urban Knowledge Network and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations where I learned about the intergovernmental cooperation. In the Netherlands, all government levels (provinces, municipalities, waterboards and ministries) have been working together to list a number of shared key priorities with a clear European dimension. The goal is to be able to convey a ‘single story’ in Brussels, in the run-up to and during the new Commission mandate. This multi-level cooperation has, among others, resulted in the preparation of a joint ‘multi-level agenda on EU priorities 2024-2029’ (Interbestuurlijke agenda EU-prioriteiten 2024-2029). It aims at further aligning the different levels of government on the key priorities for realising the green, digital and blue transition. #EUKN Big thank you to Alfredo Corbalan, Karen van Dantzig, Mendeltje van Keulen, Utku Küçükosmanoglu, Martin Geisel, Gianni Tillema

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Listen to Joep van Lit's results, based on interviews with civil servants, on what civil servants believe they can do to make democracies more resilient towards extremism:

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The Dutch people have spoken and this is the context in which the Netherlands Africa Strategy 2023-2032 will have to be implemented for the next few years. Check out the analysis of a leading Dutch development scholar on the perspective for Dutch development cooperation. But how do African thinkers see this? What does Africa expect from NL? How can we connect Dutch needs and interests with those of the people(s) of Africa? How can we (with more limited means) build a shared future?

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Earlier this month, the Netherlands' National Archives made headlines by opening Oorlog voor de Rechter (https://lnkd.in/eTdCjYpc), a digital database documenting over 400,000 individuals investigated for alleged collaboration with Nazi Germany during World War II. This release marks a significant moment in public access to historical records, following the expiration of the 75-year confidentiality period. Yet, it also raises profound ethical questions about privacy, the integrity of historical narratives, and the role of memory in society today. For the first time, descendants of survivors, victims, and those accused of collaboration can easily access records, sparking an unprecedented wave of interest (400,000 visits were logged in just 24 hours). This reflects a growing public desire to uncover long-hidden aspects of personal and national history. However, as with all memory initiatives, this effort comes with challenges. The accessibility of such sensitive data invites both opportunities and risks. On one hand, these archives are a vital tool for understanding the full scope of collaboration, including its societal and institutional dimensions, revealing critical truths. As noted by historians, these records challenge the lingering perception that Dutch society was largely uninvolved in the machinery of Nazi occupation. On the other hand, the partial nature of these archives complicates the narrative. Not all forms of collaboration are equally represented, such as economic or bureaucratic complicity, which historians argue were among the most consequential. Moreover, for the 329,000 individuals in the database who faced investigations but no charges, the potential for misinterpretation by the public poses risks to reputations and families decades later. As the last eyewitnesses pass away, archives like these become essential tools for preserving and transmitting history. Yet, the ethical questions they raise—about privacy, justice, and collective accountability—remind us that remembrance is not just about uncovering the past but also about navigating its complexities responsibly. How can we ensure that access to these records promotes greater understanding without reinforcing stereotypes or causing harm? What steps must we take to present nuanced and contextualized narratives that honor both the truth and those affected by it? #WWIIHistory #DigitalArchives #Remembrance #HistoricalResearch #ArchivesAndMemory #PublicHistory

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📢 EU Elections 2024: What do party manifestos say on key policy issues? With the #EUelections2024 starting tomorrow in the Netherlands, it's important to understand the vision and ambitions of the different European political parties taking part in the elections. In this compendium, European Policy Centre analysts examine the positions on thirteen issues of the main parties represented in the European Parliament – except the parties from the Identity and Democracy group (ID), which did not publish a manifesto. Their contributions look at the differences but also the convergences between the parties. In addition, an analysis based on data examines the evolution of the parties’ priorities and focus between the last elections in 2019 and this year and puts on a broader perspective the analysis of the manifestos. Many thanks to Danielle Brady, Chiara Scalamandrè, Alberto Horst Neidhardt, Mihai Chihaia, Levente Kocsis, Xheimina Dervishi, Liza Saris, Corina Stratulat, Brooke Moore, Philipp Lausberg, Berta López Domènech, Riccardo Bosticco & Matteo GORGONI for their insightful contributions. Abraham Lincoln has said, "Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people". Use your vote! #DefendDemocracy Garvan Walshe Kym Nelson Emma Woodford Tyana Barry Johannes Greubel Tommaso Grossi Laura Rayner Janis Emmanouilidis Fabian Zuleeg

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New #research published by Political Behavior (Springer Nature Group) was based on analysis of our data. Joshua Robison (Universiteit Leiden) assessed our Round 6 (2012/13) #data measuring government and democratic satisfaction and whether they agree with the statement: the government explains its decisions to voters. The article also analysed data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project (V-Dem Institute). "We find that democratic and government satisfaction is higher among individuals who believe the government explains its decisions and in countries rated as having a high level of explanation giving by expert raters." https://lnkd.in/eGYn-8pK

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Via Clingendael: Food, power and politics By Jos Meester and Guido Lanfranchi I 20,12.2024   The political economy of wheat value chains in fragile settings   The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been accompanied by unprecedented rises in the price of wheat on international wheat markets, yet little attention has been paid to how rising food prices depend on political economic dynamics that are more complex than supply and demand factors. This report explores how the political economic dynamics of both international and domestic food markets affect food security in fragile states.

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Many of you ask me regularly for my views on Dutch political developments and their impact on EU decision-making. In my op-ed for EU Observer you can read more about the new Dutch coalition's EU ambitions (see LINK below). TL;DR micro-summary: Outsiders may already be wondering whether the outcome of the Dutch government's coalition deal of four fractious far-right and centre-right parties constitutes a watershed moment for Dutch EU diplomacy. However, questions should be raised about the expected durability of the Dutch coalition and the feasibility of its plans. In short, concessions are sought from the EU executive to please domestic audiences in the Dutch priority areas of migration, agriculture and environment. The drawback is that the European Commission is not able to deviate from the EU treaties and the rule of law. Dutch politicians tend to overestimate the country’s weight within the EU. Using the EU as a scapegoat risks – and this might be by design – creating multiple feedback loops that fuel popular resentment against ‘Brussels’.

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On November 22, 2024, I successfully defended my PhD thesis “Armed non-state actors in conflict: strategic decision-making in the 2014 IS-KRI conflict” at Leiden University. The thesis explains the strategic decision-making of the armed non-state actors (ANSAs) Islamic State (IS) and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq (KRI) during their mutual conflict in 2014.   The study incorporates well-established International Relations (IR) paradigms into a complexity theory approach, assuming time-, space-, and context-specific factors and multi-level and multi-directional processes. The study contributes to understanding the under-researched subject of ANSAs’ strategic decision-making within IR and indicates that ANSAs’ strategic decision-making is as complex as that of states. Current events in Syria since the end of November 2024 illustrate the relevance of ANSAs and ANSAs’ strategic decision-making, as well as how they both affect and are affected by numerous actors and factors.   Many thanks go out to my supervisors, professors Edwin Bakker and Beatrice de Graaf. The PhD thesis can be accessed at: https://lnkd.in/eGBvpMhg .

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