16/01/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Commission decided, on Thursday 16 January, to refer to the Dutch national competition authority the assessment of the proposed creation of a joint venture by NS Groep N.V. ('NS') and Pon Netherlands B.V. ('Pon'), two Dutch companies. The joint venture will combine the companies’ Mobility as a Service ('MaaS') offers, currently operating under the brand names Hely and Next Urban Mobility ('Next'). NS is a public transport operator of rail transport and related services (public transport bicycles). Pon is part of the Pon Group, a global company operating companies in four different business clusters (automotive, Pon Bike...) The Dutch authority considers that the transaction may threaten to significantly affect competition in the markets for retail distribution of MaaS services, bike sharing services or public transport services. (LC)