The Netherlands joins Europe's gradual migration from Windows to Linux on government PCs

Published Sep 24, 2026, 8:52 PM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary Netherlands begins moving government systems from Windows to Linux under DAWO, testing a NixOS-based desktop. US sanctions on the ICC and Microsoft cutting services spurred a push for digital sovereignty. EU governments ditching Windows for Linux strengthens FOSS and could create a snowball effect. Something very interesting is happening over in Europe in the world of FOSS. Governments are realising that having all of their eggs in a non-EU basket leaves them susceptible to losing accounts and data due to geopolitical tensions. To tackle this, some countries are fighting to claim 'digital sovereignty', a concept where a country has control over its own digital infrastructure. We saw Denmark's government move from Windows to Linux back in 2025, followed by France and Switzerland earlier this year. Now, it's the Netherlands ' turn to declare that it's beginning to transfer government systems from Windows to Linux. The Dutch government begins its migration to Linux The current political climate was a sharp wake-up call As reported by Tweakers, the Dutch government has been giving Linux a test trial with select PCs. It's part of what the government is calling the Digitaal Autonome Werkomgeving Overheid (DAWO), which, when translated via machine translation, comes out as the Digital Autonomous Government Work Environment. The goal of DAWO is to fully cut off the Netherlands' dependence on non-EU software, including the OS, work software, cloud storage services, and management tools. Right now, however, it's still early days, as Tweakers reports that the government is currently testing its own environment based on NixOS. So, why did the Netherlands draft the plans for DAWO? Well, there are no prizes for guessing the catalyst. Innovation Manager and Security Expert Victor Gevers explained the situation, and Tweakers summed up Gevers' statements thusly (machine-translated): "The government project DAWO emerged when those concerns flared up in early 2025. At that time, the US government imposed targeted sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Microsoft, for example, cut off the chief prosecutor from the company's services, such as email. There are now signs that the Trump administration is preparing broader sanctions against the ICC. When the first restrictions surrounding the International Criminal Court (ICC) came into effect, the Dutch government realized that access to many essential services depends on the policy direction of the US government." As more European governments ditch Windows for Linux, it strengthens the FOSS ecosystem. As the FOSS ecosystem strengthens, it encourages more European governments to make the swap to Linux. As such, we may be witnessing the first few rolls of a snowball effect that will see EU governments ditching Microsoft's products entirely.