Featured in ‘Het Financieele Dagblad’ (FD) Insert: The Intelligence Race Has Begun. Will Europe Remain a Spectator?

We are featured in Het Financieele Dagblad (FD) insert, one of the Netherlands’ leading financial newspapers. Below you’ll find a direct English translation of the article, which highlights the growing role of AI in intelligence, Europe’s strategic lag, and our unique position in this space. 

While the United States and China are investing billions in AI-driven intelligence platforms, Europe has only a handful of specialized companies. Without homegrown technology, structural dependence on foreign suppliers looms. Strategic decisions would then hinge on external parties, posing a risk to European autonomy. 

The rise of artificial intelligence is transforming the intelligence field at lightning speed. What once took months, AI now does in minutes. This offers great opportunities, provided Europe invests in its own capabilities. 

AI as a Weapon Against Blind Spots 

One of the few European players in this sector is Datenna, a Dutch high-tech data company that collects and analyzes open-source intelligence (OSINT) on China. Using AI, Datenna connects the dots between companies, patents, investments, and military networks. This allows governments worldwide to make faster and better-informed decisions on export controls, investment screening, and technology risk assessments. 

A concrete example: a Chinese investment fund acquires shares in a European AI startup working on sensitive military applications. Datenna’s system automatically flags the transaction and reveals all relevant links to Chinese defense actors. 

According to Datenna CEO Jaap van Etten, building a European Intelligence Industrial Base is essential. “Just like in aviation, we must develop standards that allow countries to cooperate without losing sovereignty.” Datenna is therefore developing a standardized “data lineage” framework: a trust protocol that shows both the origin and verifiability of data. This enables allies to understand and trust each other’s findings. 

Europe Is Lagging Behind 

The urgency is high. At a recent international conference, Van Etten counted one hundred companies active in data intelligence. Ninety came from the US, a few from the UK and Israel, and just one from the EU: Datenna. According to him, this shows how far Europe is falling behind in a strategically vital sector. 

He warns that if Europe fails to invest now, the same mistake will be repeated as with cloud technology, where US platforms became the standard and Europe was left dependent on foreign suppliers without a full-fledged alternative. 

The technology is already delivering results. Licensing procedures for dual-use goods, which used to take months, can now be supported within minutes with a complete, transparent risk dossier. The final decision still rests with a policymaker or expert, but the process is faster and more substantively grounded.  

Van Etten sees a leading role for the Netherlands: “We combine international credibility, technological expertise, and a tradition of collaboration. This is our ASML moment for the intelligence industry.” He calls for a European summit on sovereign intelligence to set standards and rapidly build an ecosystem. “The window to act is only three years. After that, the cards will have been dealt.” That is why Van Etten calls for immediate action: join forces, secure long-term contracts, and invest together in Europe’s intelligence power.