Shareholders’ lobby group VEB is holding the Dutch state reponsible for investors’ losses in Fortis and has written to finance minister Wouter Bos calling for compensation for shareholders.

The campaign is also backed by Belgian investors’ lobby group Deminor.
The Dutch government took over Fortis Nederland last October without giving shareholders a say. The price paid – €16.8bn – was not based on the real value, the VEB says.
On Tuesday, a group of experts appointed by the Belgian courts said Bos had paid a reasonable price and state intervention was ‘absolutely necessary’.
Earlier this month, Fortis CEO Karel de Boeck told the Financieele Dagblad the government had paid too little.
For the VEB’s letter to Bos (Dutch only), click here