Dutch regulator urges publishers to stop bundling school textbooks
The Dutch competition watchdog says bundled print and digital textbooks restrict schools’ choices, and wants publishers to change how they sell them.
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The Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) says secondary schools face too little choice when buying textbooks. It has called on educational publishers to stop bundling printed books with digital versions, a practice it considers socially undesirable, according to Dutch news agency ANP. [1]
The regulator also says the supply of reusable textbooks has fallen to almost zero. In its assessment, schools do too little to seek alternatives, leaving the three major publishers — Noordhoff, Malmberg and ThiemeMeulenhoff — under little pressure to compete on price. ANP reports that textbook prices have risen faster than those of comparable products over the past seven years, although it gives no figures for the comparison. [1]
Schools have complained about limited choice before. Earlier in 2026, the educational publishers’ association MEVW asked its members to end bundling and respond better to schools’ needs. Former state secretary Koen Becking also demanded changes and threatened intervention. The ACM says little has changed. [1]
The ACM wants schools to buy books together to push for better prices and quality. Schools also set up a cooperative, Neon, in 2025 to develop textbooks; ANP reports that more than 1,000 schools have registered with it. [1]
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