The Netherlands, widely acclaimed for its tulips, windmills, and cheese, is also an important player in a different realm: the data center market. Due to its strategic geographical position, its advanced digital infrastructure and its strong commitment to sustainability, the Dutch data center market, particularly in Amsterdam, is significant on the global stage.
On August 27, 2020 the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Dutch DPA) announced that it approved the first ‘code of conduct’ in the Netherlands, the Data Pro Code. The Data Pro Code was drafted by NL Digital, the Dutch industry association for organizations in the ICT sector in the Netherlands.
What is a ‘Code of
After halting the realization of new data centers for a year, the municipal executive of Amsterdam announced on 1 July 2020 policies to welcome new data centers. Yet, they may be opened only under strict conditions.
For over a year, the realization of new data centers in the Amsterdam and Schiphol airport area was banned.
Introduction
As many countries reach the second stage of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, privacy protections may be relaxed under certain circumstances. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) issued a statement on the processing of personal data in this period of time, and several national data protection authorities have issued COVID-19 specific
The municipalities of Amsterdam and Haarlemmermeer (home to Schiphol Amsterdam Airport) have announced a temporary halt of the realization of new data centers in their region. According to these municipalities, data centers take up too much space and consume too much energy.
Amsterdam and Schiphol are logical locations for data centers for various reasons (e.g.,