NMa Netherlands Competition Authority

With freedom of movement for goods and services in the European Union guaranteed, competition beyond our national borders, too, is important. In fact, Dutch legislation on competition is largely based on European legislation. The European Commission has its own competition authority as well.

The NMa enforces compliance with the Dutch Competition Act, a number of transport acts, and several energy acts. International laws, too, are crucial to our oversight activities. An example is the fact that the Netherlands is a member of the European Union, and that goods and individuals within the EU enjoy free movement. Violating that law could result in the NMa imposing a fine.

Players on the energy market must comply with a number of special laws for that market, such as the Dutch Electricity Act, the Dutch Gas Act, and the Independent Grid Administration Act. A relatively new law is the Heat Act, which will come into force soon.

The transport industry has its own laws with which transport companies must comply. These are the Dutch Railway Act, the Dutch Aviation Act, the Market Oversight Registered Pilots Act under the Dutch Pilotage Act, and the Dutch Passenger Transport Act. The NMa enforces their compliance.

Besides the Dutch Competition Act, the energy and transport acts, other acts, too, are relevant to the NMa’s enforcement efforts, including the Dutch General Administrative Law Act and the Direct Appeal Act.

If the NMa establishes that a company has violated one of the acts it enforces, the company in question may be fined. The level of the fine depends on various factors, including the company’s turnover. If a company confesses its participation in a cartel, its fine may be reduced or waived. This is called leniency.