The government is to make more use of free and open source software in order to cut costs and make it less dependent on powerful single suppliers such as Microsoft, news agency ANP reports.

Government departments will only be able to deviate from open source software if they have a good reason to do so, junior economic affairs minister Frank Heemskerk is reported as saying. The plan, which has full cabinet backing, will be sent to MPs on Monday, ANP says.
The cabinet is also to ask the anti-cartel body Nma to investigate the software market in the Netherlands to see if there are additional steps which the government should be taking.