Dutch Government Urges Businesses to Prepare for Blackouts and Cyberattacks

The Dutch economic affairs ministry has called on businesses across the country to draw up emergency plans for major disruptions such as electricity blackouts, cyberattacks and loss of cloud services. According to a new survey, more than half of Dutch companies have made no such plans, and ministers warn that this leaves the country dangerously exposed.

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Low resilience, high dependence

A survey carried out by research firm Motivaction for the ministry found that only 29 percent of Dutch companies feel capable of dealing with espionage. Just 19 percent believe they are resilient enough to handle the economic consequences of a war, and only 15 percent say they could cope with the loss of internet or cloud services.

Economic affairs minister Heleen Herbert said the risk of disruption to supply chains and communications networks has increased sharply in recent years as a result of geopolitical tensions, including the war in the Middle East. "Research shows that the resilience of Dutch businesses is too low and their dependence is too great. We need to do better," she said. "If your business can keep going, you are helping not just yourself but your customers, your suppliers and your environment."

A matter of time

The warning is echoed by Marianne Schuurmans-Wijdeven, mayor of Haarlemmermeer and head of the national safety council (Veiligheidsberaad). In an interview with Het Parool, she said it was "only a matter of time" before the Dutch electricity network suffered a large-scale blackout, pointing to the constant pressure on energy infrastructure from cyberattacks.

She said she had recently visited a power station on the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam harbour that supplies around 8 percent of the electricity used in the Randstad. "When I hear how much work they have every day repelling attacks on their systems, there is a very big chance that one of those attacks will succeed," she told the newspaper. "Loss of electricity is the worst thing that can happen. We're so dependent on it. If you want to cause chaos, that's the best way to do it."

The first 72 hours

The government wants businesses to prepare specifically for the first 72 hours of any crisis. The advice is to map out which processes are critical and how to keep them running if power, internet, mobile networks or cloud services go down. Practical examples include making sure people can still get in and out of buildings if electronic security systems fail, and keeping paper backups of key records.

Part of a wider campaign

The new business push is an extension of the government's broader "Denk Vooruit" ("Think Ahead") campaign, which launched in November 2025. That campaign initially focused on households, urging them to put together a 72-hour emergency kit and an emergency plan in case of long-term loss of electricity, water or internet.

The campaign is part of the National Security Strategy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands and is coordinated by the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV). The new business-focused phase, "Start je eigen draaiboek" ("Start your own playbook"), provides checklists and a conversation tool aimed at smaller organisations, neighbourhood centres and sports clubs as well as departments of larger companies.

According to recent NCTV research, six out of ten people in the Netherlands believe the chance of a major emergency has increased over the past year, and most experts agree the question is no longer "if" but "when."