Regulators in the Netherlands strengthen mutual cooperation

Six regulators in the Netherlands have signed a letter of intent to further promote mutual cooperation. The signing parties are the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa), the Independent Regulator of Post and Electronic Communication in the Netherlands (OPTA), the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa), the Consumer Authority, the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM), and the Dutch Central Bank (DNB).

In the letter of intent, the regulators have expressed their intent to create the Consultation Forum of Regulatory Bodies (MTB) in 2009. Its creation lays the foundation for structural cooperation and dialogue between its participants with the aim to advance the exchange of non-case-related knowledge, experiences and information with regard to commonly shared topics and dilemmas for which a joint approach might be more suitable. The MTB supplements the (mostly bilateral) cooperation arrangements that are already in place for specific cases due to existing cooperation protocols.

Although each participating regulator carries out its own specific task, the problems and developments that all of these regulators face are often quite similar. Common themes will be discussed during biannual MTB meetings at a senior management level. Much effort will also go into organizing meetings aimed at exchanging knowledge at all levels through, for example, seminars, expert groups, and 'best practices.' This will enable all of the MTB participants to carry out their oversight tasks more efficiently and effectively, which could in turn lead to reductions in oversight burden.