Bart Groothuis opens Cybersec Netherlands 2026

Bart Groothuis will deliver the opening keynote at Cybersec Netherlands 2026. The Dutch Member of the European Parliament will speak on Wednesday, September 9 in Utrecht about the growing impact of AI on the cyber threat landscape, digital sovereignty, and the geopolitical dimension of cybersecurity.

With Groothuis joining the program, the organization is bringing one of Europe’s prominent voices in cybersecurity, defense, and digital autonomy to the event. Within the European Parliament, he has long focused on topics such as cyber resilience, strategic dependencies, and Europe’s position in an increasingly digital and geopolitically complex environment.

Exploiting vulnerabilities

According to the organization, his keynote closely aligns with the key themes of Cybersec Netherlands 2026. Special attention will be given to the rise of advanced AI models and so-called agentic AI systems, which can not only support detection and defense, but may also play a role in automatically identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities.

This development is expected to significantly influence the cybersecurity debate in the coming years. Organizations are facing a threat landscape in which cyberattacks are becoming faster, more intelligent, and increasingly automated.

Digital sovereignty

Groothuis’ participation also highlights the growing focus on digital sovereignty within both the cybersecurity sector and European politics. Discussions around dependencies on foreign technology, cloud infrastructures, and AI platforms are playing an increasingly important role.

Cybersec Netherlands 2026 will take place on September 9 and 10 in Utrecht and is aimed at CISOs, security specialists, executives, policymakers, and organizations from the broader digital ecosystem. In addition to digital sovereignty, the program will focus on AI & cyber threats, leadership, practical case studies, and innovation.

The exact content of the keynote will be further developed in the coming months to ensure the session reflects the latest developments within the European cyber and AI landscape.