Netherlands blocks US takeover of vital digital supplier

荷兰阻止美国公司收购关键数字供应商

BRUSSELS — The Dutch government is blocking a United States-based company’s attempts to acquire a key online identification IT supplier. Dutch firm Solvinity runs a platform for the country’s DigiD app, which allows the country’s citizens to authenticate themselves online when they want to book a doctor’s appointment, buy a house or interact with public authorities. 布鲁塞尔消息——荷兰政府正在阻止一家总部位于美国的公司收购一家关键的在线身份识别 IT 供应商。荷兰公司 Solvinity 运营着该国 DigiD 应用程序的平台，该平台允许公民在预约医生、购买房产或与公共部门互动时进行在线身份验证。

In November, U.S.-based Kyndryl announced it would acquire Solvinity, triggering concerns that a key Dutch online identification tool would fall under foreign control. Across Europe, there have been increased concerns about the bloc’s reliance on U.S. technology. 去年 11 月，总部位于美国的 Kyndryl 公司宣布将收购 Solvinity，这引发了人们对荷兰关键在线身份识别工具可能落入外国控制之手的担忧。在整个欧洲，人们对欧盟依赖美国技术的担忧日益加剧。

In a letter to the national parliament published on Tuesday, State Secretary for Digital Economy Willemijn Aerdts said the national authority charged with screening investments had advised the government to block the acquisition. The purchase was seen as posing “a possible risk to the public interest.” The government on Monday decided to adopt the advice and block the acquisition, Aerdts said. 在周二发布给国家议会的一封信中，数字经济国务秘书威廉敏·阿尔茨（Willemijn Aerdts）表示，负责审查投资的国家机构已建议政府阻止此次收购。此次收购被认为对“公共利益构成了潜在风险”。阿尔茨表示，政府已于周一决定采纳该建议并阻止此次收购。

“The Netherlands attaches great value to the presence of foreign, especially U.S.-based tech companies, and their added value to the Dutch economy and digital infrastructure, but it maintains, at the same time, an independent investment screening framework aimed at protecting the public interest and which applies equally to all investors, independent of their country of origin,” the letter read. 信中写道：“荷兰非常重视外国（尤其是美国）科技公司的存在，以及它们对荷兰经济和数字基础设施的附加价值。但与此同时，荷兰也维持着一套独立的投资审查框架，旨在保护公共利益，且该框架适用于所有投资者，无论其原籍国为何。”

The decision comes a week before the European Commission is set to unveil its tech sovereignty package, a set of proposals to reduce Europe’s reliance on foreign technology in the areas of cloud, microchips and AI. 这一决定是在欧盟委员会即将公布其“技术主权一揽子计划”前一周做出的。该计划旨在减少欧洲在云服务、微芯片和人工智能领域对外国技术的依赖。

Kyndryl said in a statement it was “extremely disappointed” about the decision. “The politicization of this process has overshadowed the clear and important benefits this transaction would have brought to Solvinity’s customers and Dutch citizens.” Kyndryl 在一份声明中表示，对这一决定感到“极其失望”。声明称：“这一过程的政治化掩盖了该交易本可为 Solvinity 的客户和荷兰公民带来的明确且重要的利益。”