Dutch competition regulator wants more power after EU drops probe of Microsoft's Inflection takeover

FILE PHOTO: A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, March 25, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes//File Photo

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch market regulator said on Thursday it needed more powers to investigate deals at its own level, a day after the European Union antitrust regulators said they would not take actionagainst Microsoft's hiring of artificial intelligence startup Inflection's staff.

In a statement, the Netherlands Authority of Consumers and Markets (ACM) said it remained to be seen if that deal will have any "negative consequences" for consumers and businesses in the country.

"That is why we believed that an investigation was necessary. The ability to assess the effects of these types of acquisitions and to prevent market power does not exist at this moment," said Martijn Snoep, ACM's chairman of the board.

"In order to be able do so, ACM requires a new power. It would also restore the ability of ACM to refer these types of acquisitions that have effects across Europe to the European Commission."

(Reporting by Toby Sterling and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)