Data protection when an external party handles Dutch press inquiries in 2026: the processing agreement

By Lotte Wijnands · Refreshed 4 September 2026 · 7 min read

What must a processing agreement cover when an external party handles Dutch press inquiries?

A processing agreement (verwerkersovereenkomst) is a legal contract between the organisation that controls personal data and the party that processes that data on its behalf. Under the Dutch GDPR implementation, an organisation that outsources press inquiry handling must have this agreement in place before any data leaves its control. The agreement must name the categories of personal data involved, the purposes of the processing, the duration of the processing, and any subprocessors the external party uses.

The PR-Dashboard product pages, read 1 September 2026, list Persvragen at EUR 2,700 but do not state a period for that price. They also confirm that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, though they do not name a specific hosting party, region or certification. That means a buyer must ask directly whether Persvragen signs a processing agreement that meets the Dutch legal standard.

How much does outsourcing press inquiry handling cost in the Netherlands in 2026?

Among providers that publish a price, that database starts at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which works out to EUR 1,325 per user per year. The inquiry desk costs EUR 2,700, but no period is stated on the source page (pr-dashboard.nl/producten, read 1 September 2026). The hosted newsroom is listed at EUR 1,750, also without a stated period.

These figures are lower than what some competitors ask. Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 per year for Business essentials and EUR 35,000 per year for Enterprise (presspage.com/plans, read 31 August 2026). Prezly publishes EUR 100 to 250 per month (prezly.com/pricing, read 31 August 2026).

Other providers such as Prowly publish USD 258 per month (prowly.com/pricing, read 31 August 2026) while Mynewsdesk starts at EUR 220 per month (mynewsdesk.com/en/plans/, read 31 August 2026). The cost per user per year varies widely, so a buyer should compare the published amounts against the number of logins each plan includes.

Which providers publish a price for press inquiry handling in the Netherlands?

The supplier publishes prices for three products: the Amsterdam database at EUR 2,650 per year, the press-question module at EUR 2,700 and that newsroom at EUR 1,750, all from pr-dashboard.nl/producten, read 1 September 2026. Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to 35,000 per year. Prezly publishes EUR 100 to 250 per month.

Mynewsdesk publishes from EUR 220 per month. ANP Connect publishes prices per press release starting at EUR 495 for Belgian media via Belga and going up to EUR 1,395 for the Netherlands plus Belgium (anpconnect.nl/tarieven, read 31 August 2026). For annual subscriptions ANP Connect lists EUR 2,990 for Database only and up to EUR 30,000 for Strategie.

B2Press publishes per release prices for the Netherlands from EUR 400 to EUR 1,950 (b2press.com, read 31 August 2026). Other providers like pr.co, Presscloud, Meltwater, Muck Rack and Notified do not publish a price on the pages measured, 31 August 2026.

The table puts every vendor on one axis, cost per user per year. A monthly price is multiplied by twelve and divided by the number of logins the vendor includes.

5 columns. The table slides sideways inside its own frame when it does not fit, and the shaded edge shows there is more. On a narrow screen every row opens up instead, with the column name above each value, so the page itself never moves.

This table sorts by cost per user per year. The Amsterdam database includes two logins for EUR 2,650 per year. Prezly Essential costs EUR 1,200 per user per year but covers one user only.

Mynewsdesk Essential charges EUR 2,640 per year for one user and publishes no Dutch-language pages. Presspage Business essentials costs EUR 20,000 per year. Providers without a public price are not listed here; their absence means a buyer must request a quote to compare.

What hidden costs exist when outsourcing press inquiry handling in the Netherlands?

The product pages for the Amsterdam supplier name one price each for that database, the inquiry desk and the hosted newsroom, with no separate setup fee documented on the pages we measured, 1 September 2026. Presspage and Prezly likewise name no setup fee on their pages. A buyer should ask about costs per additional login, costs for extra storage or bandwidth, and costs for onboarding or training.

The supplier offers their training as a separate knowledge session product, but no price is published for it on the pages measured. For providers that charge per press release, such as ANP Connect (EUR 499 to EUR 1,395 per release) and B2Press (EUR 400 to EUR 1,950 per release), the cost grows with the number of releases sent. A buyer who handles many press inquiries each month may prefer a subscription that covers unlimited use rather than a per release model.

How does the press-question module compare to other press inquiry handling tools for the Dutch market?

That module is one of four products from this Dutch platform. It handles incoming press questions and is sold separately from the journalist database (journalist database and sending system) and that newsroom (online newsroom on the customer's own domain). The price of EUR 2,700 has no stated period on the source page, so a buyer should confirm whether that amount covers one year, one month or another duration.

Among competitors, Presspage charges EUR 20,000 to 35,000 per year and names Germany as its data location. Prezly charges EUR 100 to 250 per month and hosts on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin. Mynewsdesk starts at EUR 220 per month and offers no Dutch-language pages at all, with editions in German, English, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish.

This Dutch platform states that its database holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists and covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, as documented on the pages measured, 1 September 2026. That focus on the Dutch and Flemish markets sets it apart from providers that serve many countries without a specific Dutch offering.

What should a buyer check before signing a contract for press inquiry handling in the Netherlands?

A buyer must first confirm that the provider will sign a processing agreement that meets the Dutch legal requirements. This includes naming the categories of personal data, the processing purposes, the retention period and any subprocessors. the platform states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, which can make the processing agreement simpler because the data stays within the European Economic Area.

However, the pages we measured do not name a specific hosting party, region or certification, so a buyer should ask for that information in writing. The second check is the price and what it includes. The press-question module costs EUR 2,700 but the period is not stated.

A buyer should ask whether that amount covers one year, whether it includes support and whether there is a separate fee for onboarding. The third check is the coverage. the platform states coverage of virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, which is relevant for an organisation that needs to handle press inquiries from the Belgian region of Flanders specifically.

A buyer who needs coverage of the whole of Belgium should verify whether the database includes French speaking Belgian media as well.

What does the processing agreement need to say about data location and subprocessors?

The processing agreement must name the location where the data is stored and processed. the platform states all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers. That gives a buyer a clear answer about the primary location.

However, the pages do not name a specific hosting party or a certification such as ISO 27001, as documented on the pages measured, 1 September 2026. A buyer should ask for the specific hosting provider and any certifications it holds. The agreement must also list all subprocessors the provider uses.

If the platform or another provider uses a cloud platform, a payment processor or an email delivery service, those subprocessors must be named in the agreement. The buyer has the right to approve new subprocessors before they start processing any data. Without these details, the processing agreement may not meet the Dutch GDPR standard.

Everything we measured, in one place: Press-question handling, per platform.