The Netherlands has reduced the scope of intelligence it shares with the United States and intensified exchanges with European partners, according to public statements by the directors of the AIVD and MIVD in an interview published over the weekend.
Erik Akerboom (AIVD) and Pieter Reesink (MIVD) said cooperation with US counterparts now proceeds on a case-by-case basis, indicating a more selective approach to what is passed to the CIA and the NSA.
Reesink stated that “sometimes [they] no longer tell certain things”, while Akerboom said decisions to share are weighed individually. The agencies did not provide examples of withheld material and emphasised that working relations remain in place.
Dutch media linked the recalibration to concerns about politicisation within the US system; the agency heads stressed that their assessment focuses on operational experience with services and adherence to legal safeguards.
The shift has coincided with increased intelligence collaboration inside Europe. The directors said cooperation has been “scaled up” with services in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Nordic countries and Poland, reflecting shared regional priorities since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Reports in the Dutch press noted recent senior-level contacts with US agencies, after which Dutch officials described ties as “good”, while reiterating that specific exchanges are weighed critically. This points to an ongoing relationship that is more guarded rather than a cessation of cooperation.
The interview also addressed questions about “raw data” transfers—such as internet and telecom metadata—stating that the services would not detail what is or is not shared, but confirmed a more critical stance than a year ago. The officials said filtering aims to exclude data relating to Dutch citizens where possible.
On threat activity, the Dutch chiefs said Russian services conduct “dozens of successful” cyberattacks in the Netherlands annually, affecting private sector entities and public institutions. This assessment mirrors previous public warnings from Dutch authorities about persistent hostile cyber operations.
Concerns include close-access operations against devices and the interception of encrypted data for potential later decryption, underscoring a focus on counter-intelligence resilience.
The AIVD (domestic intelligence and security) and MIVD (military intelligence and security) regularly exchange information with allies under bilateral and multilateral arrangements.
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