International cooperation – consumer protection
Organizations that take action against violations of consumer protection regulations increasingly have to cooperate, not just at a national level, but also at an international level. Consumer markets more and more often extend beyond national borders.
What does ACM do within Europe for consumers?
ACM is a member of the European cooperation body Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC). Since 2007, consumer protection authorities in the various Member States are able to call on each other’s help when combating violations that cross national borders.
For the coordination of such cross-border cases, every Member State has designated a ‘liaison office.’ In the Netherlands, ACM has been given this task. As ‘liaison office,’ ACM coordinates all information and enforcement requests of and directed to:
- The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM)
- The Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa)
- The Dutch Media Authority (CvdM)
- The Dutch Health Care and Youth Inspectorate (IGJ)
- The Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT)
- The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)
And also those of and directed to ACM itself.
Such requests may come from Dutch regulators directed to other regulators abroad or vice versa.
At a global level, ACM closely cooperates with consumer protection authorities in over forty countries, including China and the United States. This global cooperation body is the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN).