How do I get close to this shy guy?

I am in desperate need of some flirting advice. There is this guy at my college that I like, but I don't know him very well and he's very shy, plus I'm not the most assertive person in the world either, so it is hard to get to know him. He is a friend of a casual friend of mine and I occasionally see him at parties but I have never actually had a personal conversation with him. For this reason I don't know if I really like him because I barely know him, but I think he is extremely cute so I would like to get to know him better. The problem is I don't know how. I am really bad at these things. Should I try to become friends with him first? And how would I establish that. My friendships always sort of naturally happen, I have never really undertaken action to befriend someone.

Also you should know that I live in the Netherlands, where it is not as normal as it is in the US to ask someone out on a date. I don't know what to do! Please help me.

No, I dont think that you should become friends at first. You should approach him as a friend whom wants to get to know him better if you know what I mean. I'm just afraid that you'll end up in the friend zone if you come off as that first. Start a conversation, invite him to a get together with some friends. That way it won't be weird. Eventually if you feel comfortable then you can ask him for some coffee or lunch. Best of luck to you.