The Goods Availability Act (Dutch: Wet beschikbaarheid goederen, abbreviated Wbg) is a 1952 Dutch framework law that grants the government powers to secure the availability of essential goods during a national emergency. Enacted during the early Cold War, the law allows any government minister to issue orders controlling the use, modification, and maintenance of goods to prepare for or respond to extraordinary circumstances.[2]
The Goods Availability Act was created in the context of post-World War II reconstruction and rising geopolitical tensions between the West and the Soviet Union. The Dutch government sought a legal basis to manage national resources and ensure economic stability in the event of a future conflict. The law was designed to give the executive branch the authority to intervene in the economy to prevent hoarding, ensure the maintenance of critical infrastructure, and control the distribution of essential materials without having to declare a formal state of emergency.[citation needed] It is considered a key piece of Dutch state emergency law (Dutch: staatsnoodrecht).[citation needed]
On 1 October 2025, the Minister of Economic Affairs delegated the authority under the Goods Availability Act to the officials of the Economic Security Inspectorate (Dutch: Afdeling Toezicht Economische Veiligheid) as the supervisors responsible for enforcing any orders issued by the Minister of Economic Affairs under this act.[6]
Provisions
The act grants broad but specific powers to government ministers, primarily exercised with the consent of the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. A minister can issue an order to a rights-holder (an owner or possessor) of goods to:
Prohibit alterations to the goods, their condition, or their location without a permit.
Mandate specific changes to be made to the goods.
Forbid the consumption or processing of goods without a permit.
Ensure the effective maintenance of the goods.
Temporarily make goods available for inspection.[7]
An order given by the Minister of Defence for the execution of military tasks takes precedence over orders from other ministers.[8]
Compensation
The law stipulates that any person or entity that suffers financial damage as a result of an order is entitled to compensation from the state. The amount is first negotiated between the minister and the affected party. If no agreement can be reached, the compensation is definitively determined by a special commission established by the government.[9]
2025 invocation regarding Nexperia
On October 12, 2025, the Minister of Economic Affairs invoked the Goods Availability Act for the first time.[10] The government issued an order directed at the semiconductor company Nexperia in response to what the official announcement called "significant administrative shortcomings" that posed a risk to the continuity of a vital national industry. The specific details of the order were not made public, but it was intended to ensure the stability of the company's operations and the supply of semiconductors.[3]
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