The Dutch Government launches new consumer and market authority combining and replacing three previous authorities

The Netherlands launches its new Consumer and Market Authority (Autoriteit Consument en Markt ("ACM")) on 1 April 2013. The ACM combines and replaces three previous authorities: the Dutch Competition Authority (Nederlandse Mededingingsautoriteit ("NMa")), the Consumer Authority (Consumentenautoriteit ("CA")), and the Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority (Onafhankelijke Post en Telecommunicatie Autoriteit ("OPTA")). The organization, procedures, and powers of the new regulator will be set out in detail in a law currently under preparation, which is expected to become effective on 1 January 2014. Until then, the ACM will operate on the basis of the original individual mandates of the three now-merged