BENGALURU: The city endeared itself to Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who gave a shout-out to “green” Bengaluru, its “vibrant atmosphere”, air quality and scientific and tech-driven ethos. Schoof arrived in the city on Thursday evening, after attending the AI India Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
“The city is green and its air quality is good. I ran in the morning and checked the air quality. It was roughly on par with The Netherlands,” said Schoof. He spoke at length about the use of AI by the traffic police in managing Bengaluru’s traffic and startup culture, which he witnessed during his visit to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), where he was impressed by two startups using AI in healthcare and agriculture.
Recounting his visit to the Traffic Management Centre, Schoof said he was “most surprised at how police were using AI to regulate traffic in the city. They have all the data from open source and are able to predict, analyse and regulate traffic in real time, including creating green corridors to facilitate organ transport (for life saving organ transplant).”
The Dutch PM underscored the use of AI across domains, especially healthcare, and said it will be a gamechanger for all stakeholders; from doctors and healthcare providers to patients, and most importantly, it will bring down the cost. “The Netherlands has a big ageing population and healthcare cost and services are going out of control,” he said, adding that AI applications in healthcare, for instance, in detecting diseases will improve quality, and timely services by doctors and nursing staff while making it more affordable to people.
Speaking about the AI India Impact Summit, he said it has brought India on the world map at a time when the US and China have intensified their competitive strategy around AI. The record turnout of European leaders at the New Delhi AI summit proved that Europe is pivoting towards India for taking the lead in AI in a collaborative manner. “It is important to step up our AI endeavours. India is a big player in the field. It is very important for Europe and India to work closely on AI and AI development,” he added.
On the India-Netherlands trade agreement, Schoof said he had a very positive meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a strategic agreement (which is in final stages) on water management, defence, semiconductors etc, and looked forward to Modi’s visit to the northwestern European country sometime this year.
“The Netherlands is the second largest investor from Europe to India, and fourth among the rest in the world. We have some of the best institutions and India has the talent. Together, we can be strong,” he said.
On the impact of US tariffs on the global economy, Schoof said his country has always opposed tariffs but was not able to prevent them. He added that Europe has always been keen on open trade agreements and all eyes are now on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA). In his reaction to US President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Greenland, Schoof said the problem was regarding security of the Arctic because of the Russians and Chinese. “We did come to an agreement - The Arctic Sentry -- some two weeks ago. I think that will solve the problem,” said Schoof.
‘Arctic Sentry’, a multi-domain activity, was launched by NATO recently to improve security in the High North. “With Russia’s increasing military activity and China’s growing interest in the Arctic, the Allies have agreed to do more to ensure our collective security in this vital region,” read the NATO statement.
Schoof checks out city’s traffic tech
As part of his official city tour, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof visited the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) on Infantry Road on Friday. Schoof was briefed on the advanced, technology-driven systems implemented to enhance road safety, streamline urban mobility and ensure efficient enforcement. Schoof witnessed live demonstration of real-time monitoring, AI-enabled surveillance, adaptive traffic signal control and seamless integrated command and control operations. He also got an overview of innovative initiatives and global best practices in traffic management, showcasing the city’s commitment to smarter and safer roads. DG & IGP MA Saleem, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy and other senior officers were present. ENS