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ACM in 2025 to launch five new broad investigations into market problems

Summary

  • In 2025, ACM will launch market investigations in five sectors to identify market problems.
  • These five sectors are: veterinarians, education tools (including digital ones), computer-driven prices, the budget segment of the fixed broadband market, and hydrogen.
  • ACM in 2025 will also focus on the digital economy, the energy transition, and the sustainability transition.

In 2025, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) will launch five new general market investigations. In these market investigations, it will specifically look at veterinarians, education tools (including digital ones), computer-driven consumer prices, the budget segment of the fixed broadband market, and the development of the hydrogen market. In this way, ACM carries out its duty of exercising general oversight over the proper functioning of markets, even without a suspicion of violation of the rules. In these broad market investigations, ACM looks at deeper causes and effects of markets that do not function properly, and it puts forward solutions to have these markets function better.

Martijn Snoep, Chairman of the Board of ACM, adds: “Markets do not automatically function well for people and businesses. As market authority, we keep our ear to the ground, listening to society, and we help find solutions to possible market failures. In times like these in particular, it is important that businesses innovate, and that people reap the benefits thereof. It is our role as regulator to stay on our toes constantly, to identify practices that impede the proper functioning of markets, and to take action against such practices.”

In addition to broad market investigations and its regular oversight duties, ACM in 2025 devotes special attention to the digital economy, the energy transition, and the sustainability transition.

Promoting an open and fair digital economy

ACM is committed to making sure that people and businesses are able to navigate digital environments with confidence. In these efforts, we give special attention to individuals in vulnerable positions and minors. ACM will take the following concrete actions:

  • Together with other market authorities, where possible, taking action against abuse, misleading practices, and manipulation in online sales and in the gaming sector.
  • Studying the concrete effects of computer-driven and personalized pricing.
  • Educating people and businesses about their rights and obligations under new legislation in the digital domain, such as the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act.
  • Taking action against businesses that take advantage of the dependency of buyers of their software or their platform.

Accelerating the energy transition

ACM helps accelerate the energy transition for consumers and businesses. We do so by making necessary changes and innovations possible in the energy system, with an eye to affordability, a fair distribution of costs, and the security of supply. ACM will take the following concrete actions:

  • Taking measures regarding flexible grid utilization in order to reduce grid congestion.
  • Drawing up a draft decision regarding a feed-in tariff for producers for a better distribution of the costs among grid users. This will help alleviate grid congestion.
  • Identifying opportunities and obstacles with an eye to the desired functioning and development of energy markets, for example with regard to hydrogen, energy-sharing, and energy communities.
  • Designing a new regulatory methodology with which the network tariffs for system operators for natural gas and electricity are set from 2027 and beyond.

Making the economy more sustainable

ACM fully supports the transition to a more sustainable economy as well as the innovation that this transition requires. ACM will take the following concrete actions:

  • Promoting the use of honest and clear sustainability claims by businesses. This year we will focus on the foods sector.
  • Giving advice to businesses about how they can work together within the competition rules in order to promote innovation and a more sustainable economy.
  • Assessing if and how collaborations in the agricultural and nutritional sector as well as an international comparison of certification labels are able to help make the agricultural sector more sustainable.
  • Making preparations for enforcement of new European rules regarding international responsible business conduct among larger businesses.

See also

See also

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