1. In 2010 the Netherlands will host the World Congress on Information Technology. What is your expectation?  
 
I am proud that ICT-Office, with the city of Amsterdam and the Ministry of Economic Affairs host the biennial World Congress on Information Technology, WCIT 2010, May next year. These are the Olympic Games in the field of ICT. WCIT is the leading international IT forum in the world and a meeting place for world leaders from business, government and science. The organization of WCIT could attract more quality ICT business to us. We can also give our innovative abilities a positive and powerful impulse. Thus, we can put Europe and the Netherlands even more on the map as the ‘ICT gateway to Europe’. 

2. Where does the Netherlands stand in the field of ICT?  
 
Its looking good in many ways. For example, the Amsterdam Internet Exchange is the main internet hub in the Netherlands and the largest and fastest in the world. Also in terms of broadband connections, the Netherlands belongs to the world summit (No 2 of the world). Furthermore, with Surfnet we have a network of scientific excellence and the Dutch have the best internet skills in the world. This offers great opportunities for innovative companies that want to use these developments and it is a great asset to attract new high-tech foreign companies. 

3. What do you mean by “making the Netherlands the ICT gateway to Europe”?  
 
With Schiphol and the harbour of Rotterdam we are a leader in logistics. We are physically a real gateway to Europe. But also in the field of ICT, we are becoming a European gateway. I already mentioned a few examples, but there is more. The Ministry of Economic Affairs attracted 32 high-quality ICT companies in 2008. This is mainly due to our strong ICT infrastructure, our high labour productivity and our favourable investment climate. With initiatives such as the WCIT we can further promote ourselves to the world as the ICT gateway to Europe. The message to ICT companies is that you need to be in the Netherlands. From here you can perfectly operate and serve in the rest of Europe or other parts of the world. 

4. What are the advantages of such a gateway position?  
 
It has a priming effect on talent and other innovative companies and supplies high-quality jobs. It will strengthen the Dutch innovation force. Innovative foreign companies keep the Dutch business focused and give our country connections to international business networks. 

5. When will the Netherlands achieve this gateway position?  
 
This position is already a fact. See, for example, our leadership in the world when it comes down to access to broadband (No 2 in the world). We have also managed to attract several top technology companies from India and China, such as Tata Consultancy and ZTE (Chinese telecom company). But there are still more possibilities in this area. Both in terms of attracting investors and when it comes to 'own' new growth of ICT companies and better use of ICT in our economy. We must therefore continue to build our position. 

6. Who do you wish to see at WCIT 2010 and why should they definitely come? 
 
The Googles of tomorrow. In addition to our beautiful Dutch ICT companies we not only invite the big players, but also show an inspiring cloud of young creative companies. For example, Amsterdam is characterized by a strong creative industry and some businesses have the potential to become the Googles of tomorrow. 

7. How will the Dutch ICT industry benefit from WCIT 2010?  
 
It increases the visibility of Dutch ICT companies at an international level, it is a unique platform to show the rest of the world what we can and why we are a top ICT country. We certainly shouldn’t be too modest. I am very confident that the Dutch ICT branch will benefit from valuable industry contacts and relationships. 

8. If you could address to the visitors of WCIT 2010, what would you tell them?  
 
WCIT is a major, three day event in the field of ICT. It is a great platform to exchange ideas, experiences and aspirations. It gathers more than 2,000 people on an exclusive invitation - ministers and captains of industry, managers from the public sector and academics.  
 
The theme of WCIT 2010 is Challenges of Change. It’s very topical in the light of the economic crisis and the global quest for sustainable economic growth and the role of ICT in it. Topics include the impact of ICT on Energy, Water, Finance, Mobility, e-inclusion, Health, Sharing space, Safety, creative industries and e-government. 

9. What goals do you, as the Minister of Foreign Trade, want to achieve within the ICT sector?  
 
One of my goals is a cleaner ICT sector, which consumes less energy with powerful and innovative companies. Also, I would like to see more use of open source software and open standards. It is also important to maintain and improve our ICT infrastructure. We should benefit more from productivity applications that can realise growth in the Netherlands. Furthermore, we can improve the relationship between government and citizens with ICT. The government is committed to good electronic services and wants to take a leading position in that area.