It is a matter of independance also.

I think that one of the issues at stake here is also governement independance.

If the Dutch administration is dependent on microsoft for it's software, that may mean that the governement can't be fully neutral toward the company.

Let me explain: imagine Microsoft breaks some dutch laws (like, antitrust or something like that...) and that the dutch governement needs to prosecute microsoft or even ban the use of windows to uphold the law, then the dutch governement got a problem because they depend on windows being availlable in the netherlands for the governement to function.

Having an unregulated private company as single supplier of a critical piece of your country's infrastructure is a recipe for disaster, and that's what they want to avoid.

Currently if some company wanted to sue microsoft for patent infringement and requested that windows is barred from being sold in the US (like I think they are allowed to do), what do you think is the chance of the US governement cutting off the it's own supply of windows licenses , no matter what the merits of the case?