Many member states of the European Union have their own competition authorities. Their work and duties are largely similar to those of the NMa. These authorities look for the best ways to implement competition policies and to enforce them. The EU member states closely work together to make sure that companies compete fairly with one another.
Competition authorities help each other track down violations of competition rules, and help prevent them as well. The share knowledge, and exchange so-called ‘best practices’. This is the case, for example, when a country has had a case in a particular industry. Competition authorities in other countries can learn a lot from that experience – about what the structure of the industry is, what rules it has, in what ways companies violate those rules, and in what ways regulators can take action. Less experienced regulators can thus learn a lot from the more experienced regulators.
European regulators also work together promoting competition in certain industries. For example, they make it easier to export electricity from one country to the other.
The European Commission, too, has its own competition authority, the Directorate-General Competition. This organization was headed for years by a Dutch Commissioner, Ms. Neelie Kroes. The current Commissioner for Competition is Mr. Joaquín Almunia from Spain.
