Netherlands

Competition law in the Netherlands is primarily governed by the Competition Act (Mededlingingswet), originally passed on May 22, 1997, and the Establishment Act of the Authority for Consumers  and Markets (Instellingswet Autoriteit Consument en Markt) (Establishment Act), issued on February 28, 2013. The Authority for Consumers & Markets (Autoriteit Consument & Markt) (ACM) was created as an independent administrative agency on April 1, 2013, pursuant to the Establishment Act.  ACM is governed by a three-person board, consisting of a Chair and two members, who has final say over all decisions issued by ACM. The organization is responsible for investigating markets for unfair competition, levying administrative penalties for competition law violations, and providing recommendations to the Dutch legislature to improve the functioning of markets.

This profile was updated on October 30, 2026, and is pending review and comments by the competition agency.