Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets is a business regulation agency based in The Hague. It is charged with competition oversight, sector-specific regulation of several sectors, and enforcement of consumer protection laws. It enforces Section 24 of the Dutch Competition Act.
Bernadette van Buchem is the director of consumers. Mary Starks is Director of Competition.
In 2017 it imposed a fine of EUR 41 million on Nederlandse Spoorwegen for abuse of its position by means of predatory pricing and related practices.
In 2018 it revoked the energy licence of One Select, a sister company of the UK energy supplier, because it could no longer “comply with the requirements of its energy licence”. It approved the takeover by HeadFirst Source Group NV of Myler, a Dutch contract management and global sourcing company. It forced VodafoneZiggo and KPN to open up their fixed networks to third party providers after a market analysis of Wholesale Fixed Access showed that between them they dominated the market. It set new prices for water and electricity on Bonaire from 1 April 2018.
