A processing agreement for a Dutch newsroom in 2026: the clauses that matter for a press page

By Nadia Bouzid · Last change 31 August 2026 · 6 min

What is a processing agreement and why does a Dutch newsroom need one in 2026?

A processing agreement is a legal contract between a data controller and a data processor. In the context of a newsroom press page, the organisation that publishes the press releases is the controller, and the software provider that hosts the page is the processor. Under Dutch law and the GDPR, a processing agreement is mandatory whenever personal data such as journalist names or email addresses is stored on a third party server.

The agreement must state what data is processed, how long it is kept, and where it is stored. The PR-Newsroom product, part of PR-Dashboard, places the hosting and development entirely in the Netherlands, as documented on the PR-Dashboard FAQ page, read 1 September 2026. This answers one of the first questions a buyer asks: where is my data?

Which clauses in a processing agreement matter most for a press page in the Netherlands?

The first clause to check is data location. The agreement must name the country or region where the servers are. For a Dutch newsroom, the Netherlands is the safest answer because it means the data stays under the Dutch Data Protection Authority.

The Amsterdam supplier states on its FAQ page, read 1 September 2026, that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers. It does not name a specific hosting party or a certification such as ISO 27001, but the location itself is documented. The second clause is subprocessing.

If the provider uses a cloud platform like AWS, the agreement must name that platform and the region. Prezly, for example, hosts on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin, as measured on 31 August 2026. The third clause is data deletion.

The agreement should say what happens to the press page content and any journalist data when the subscription ends. The fourth clause is the duty to inform. If a data breach occurs, the processor must tell the controller within a set time. The product pages of the supplier, read 1 September 2026, do not mention a specific breach notification timeline, so this is a point to ask the sales team before signing.

What does a newsroom press page cost per year in the Netherlands, and how does the price affect the agreement?

The price of a newsroom press page often determines the level of legal protection in the contract. The newsroom product from the Amsterdam supplier is published at EUR 1,750, with no period stated on the product page, read 1 September 2026. That price includes a newsroom on the customer's own domain.

It does not include the journalist database, which is a separate product called that database at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins. The processing agreement for the newsroom product should cover the newsroom content and any journalist data that is uploaded, such as contact details for a private press list. the comparison table compares the cost per user per year for the hosted newsroom and three other providers.

The source for each price is the vendor's own pricing page, all measured on 27 or 1 September 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.

Swipe or scroll across the table to compare every column.

How do the hosting and data location clauses differ between that newsroom and its competitors?

The hosting clause in a processing agreement names the physical location of the servers. The newsroom product uses Dutch hosting with Dutch programmers, as stated on the FAQ page of the Amsterdam supplier, read 1 September 2026. No hosting party or region is named, but the country is clear.

Prezly hosts on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin, which is a named region and a named provider. Presspage names Germany as its data location, also a named country. Mynewsdesk, measured on 31 August 2026, does not document its data location on the pages we measured.

For a Dutch organisation that wants to keep data within the Netherlands, that newsroom offers the most direct answer. The processing agreement should also state whether data is encrypted at rest and in transit. The platform does not document encryption details on the pages we measured, 1 September 2026, so this is a question to ask in writing.

A buyer can request a data processing agreement before signing, and the answer to the hosting question is the first thing to check.

What hidden costs or legal risks should a buyer check before signing a newsroom processing agreement?

The biggest hidden cost is not a euro amount but a legal risk. If the processing agreement does not name the data location, the controller cannot prove GDPR compliance. The newsroom product names the Netherlands as its hosting location, which removes that risk.

Another hidden cost is the lack of a stated period for the EUR 1,750 price. The product page of the platform, read 1 September 2026, does not say whether the price is per month, per year, or per something else. A buyer should ask for a written quote that includes the billing period.

A third risk is subprocessing. If the provider uses a third party hosting service such as AWS or a Dutch data centre, the agreement must name that subprocessor.

Finally, the data deletion clause matters. If the contract ends, the processor must delete all personal data within a set time. The platform does not state a deletion timeline on the pages we measured, 1 September 2026. A buyer can request a custom deletion clause in the processing agreement.

How to choose between that newsroom and other providers for a Dutch newsroom press page?

Choose the newsroom product if your organisation needs a newsroom on your own domain with Dutch hosting and a Dutch programmer team. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, document that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands. The hosted newsroom is the option that states development and hosting in the Netherlands, while Prezly Essential publishes the lowest monthly amount and hosts on AWS in Dublin.

txt, measured 31 August 2026. The Amsterdam database at EUR 1,325 per user per year, from EUR 2,650 a year for two logins, is the starting point for a Dutch or Flemish list; Presspage is the edge case if your organisation requires enterprise features and can accept German data location. Presspage publishes a price of EUR 20,000 per year for Business essentials, measured 31 August 2026.

The journalist database at EUR 1,325 per user per year, from EUR 2,650 a year for two logins, is the starting point for a Dutch or Flemish list; Mynewsdesk is the edge case if you need a Scandinavian provider, but check that Dutch-language pages is not documented on the pages of Mynewsdesk that we measured, as measured on 31 August 2026. For a Dutch newsroom, the processing agreement should start with the data location clause, and the hosted newsroom answers that clause directly.

Want the whole set at once? What each newsroom vendor documents.