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Introduction: Why Do Public Services Challenge the European Union?

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Developments in Services of General Interest

Part of the book series: Legal Issues of Services of General Interest ((LEGAL))

Abstract

What has been a persistent irritant for the Single Market project has created a rich source for investigation by academic researchers, an increasing amount of legal work for practioners and discussion between policy-makers. This in turn has led to an explosion of ideas in what Ross has described as ‘this short history of chaos’ on what is the modern role for public services. However, there are few concrete solutions to this ‘irritant’ of the Single Market.

Jean Monnet Professor of European Law ad personam, University of Leicester, Barrister, Littleton Chambers, London

In writing this Introduction I have benefitted enormously from the discussions of seminar and conference papers presented at Oxford University, EUI (Florence), ERA (Trier) as well as the conferences which have been the basis of the books published in the Legal Issues of Services of General Interest series.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Monti 2010, p. 73.

  2. 2.

    Ross 2007, P. 1058.

  3. 3.

    I use the concept of Europeanisation as defined by Radaelli 2009: a set of processes of construction, diffusion, and institutionalisation of formal and informal rules, procedures, policy paradigms, styles, ‘ways of doing things’ and shared beliefs and norms which are first defined and consolidated in the EU policy process and then incorporated in the logic of domestic (national and sub-national) discourse, political structures, and public policies.

  4. 4.

    See Buendia Sierra 2000; Baquero Cruz 2005.

  5. 5.

    See Chap. 8 by Hennig.

  6. 6.

    ECJ, Case C-320/91 Corbeau [1993] ECR I-2533 and ECJ, Case C-393/92 Commune Almelo [1994] ECR I-1477.

  7. 7.

    ECJ, Case C-393/92 Municipality of Almelo and Others v. NV Energiebedrijf IJsselmij [1994] ECR I-1477. See Fiedziuk 2010, 271; Gyselen 2010.

  8. 8.

    ECJ, Case C-157/94 Commission v. the Netherlands, Case C-158/94 Commission v. Italy [1997] and Case C-159/94 Commission v. France [1997] ECR I-5815, ECR 1-5699, 5789, 5815.

  9. 9.

    Article 4 EC stated: ‘For the purposes set out in Article 2, the activities of the Member States and the Community shall include, as provided in this Treaty and in accordance with the timetable set out therein, the adoption of an economic policy which is based on the close co-ordination of Member States’ economic policies, on the internal market and on the definition of common objectives, and conducted in accordance with the principle of an open market economy with free competition.’

  10. 10.

    Ross 2000, p. 22.

  11. 11.

    For example, Article 29 (right of access to placement services); Article 34 (social security and social assistance); Article 35 (healthcare); Article 37 (environmental protection); Article 38 (consumer protection). See Kenner and Hervey 2003.

  12. 12.

    Article 6 TEU.

  13. 13.

    Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions accompanying the communication on ‘A single market for twenty first century Europe’ Services of general interest, including social services of general interest: a new European commitment, COM(2007) 724 final, 9.

  14. 14.

    96/C 281/03.

  15. 15.

    Rodrigues 2009, p. 255 and Szyszczak 2009.

  16. 16.

    European Commission, Green Paper on Services of General Interest COM(2003) 270 final.

  17. 17.

    European Commission, White Paper on Services of General Interest, COM(2004) 374.

  18. 18.

    European Commission, Communication on Services of General Interest, Including Social Services of General Interest: A New European Commitment COM(2007) 725; Szyszczak 2009.

  19. 19.

    See Davies 2009a, p. 51 and Davies 2009b, p. 549.

  20. 20.

    Cf. Baquero Cruz 2005, who describes the provision as a ‘switch-rule’.

  21. 21.

    ECJ, Case C-49/07 MOTOE [2008] ECR I-4863, para 46. But compare: ECJ, Case C-157/94 Commission v. Netherlands [1999] ECR I-5751.

  22. 22.

    See Frenz and Schleissing 2009, p. 171.

  23. 23.

    ECJ, Case C-107/98 Teckal [1999] ECR I-8121, paras 49–50. .

  24. 24.

    ECJ, Case C-280/00 Altmark [2003] ECR I-7747, paras 89–93. Cf. General Court, Case T-289/03 BUPA v. Commission [2008] ECR II-81, para 182.

  25. 25.

    ECJ, Case C-84/03 Commission v. Spain [2005] ECR I-139, para 9; ECJ, Case C-480/06 Commission v. Germany [2009] I-ECR 4747.

  26. 26.

    The Europeanisation of health care has emerged as a discrete area as the free movement and competition rules have been tested against national schemes. This is the subject of the second volume in this series: Van de Gronden et al. 2011.

  27. 27.

    ECJ, Case C-355/00 Freskot AE v. Elliniko Dimosio [2003] ECR I-5263.

  28. 28.

    See Szyszczak 2009.

  29. 29.

    ECJ, Case C-70/95 Sodemare [1997] ECR I-3395.

  30. 30.

    For a discussion of the case law see: Hancher and Sauter 2010, 117.

  31. 31.

    ECJ, Case C-280/00 Altmark Trans and Regierungsprasidium Magdeburg [2003] ECR I-7747.

  32. 32.

    2005/C 297/04; OJ C 297/4 2005 and C(2005) 2673, OJ L 312/67 2005. At the time of writing, the Commission has published Reports on how the Member States have applied the Framework and Decision (available at: http://ec.europa.eu/competition/consultations/2010_sgei/reports.html) and begun a review of the application of the Framework and the Decision see: Public Consultation on State Aid Rules, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/competition/consultations/2010_sgei/index_en.html.

  33. 33.

    ECJ, Case C-567/07 Sint Servatius [2009] ECR I-9021.

  34. 34.

    Directive 2006/123/EC, OJ L 376/36.2006.

  35. 35.

    Supra n. 32.

  36. 36.

    Supra n. 31.

  37. 37.

    ECJ, Joined Cases C-159/91 and C-160/91 Poucet and Pistre [1993] ECR I-637; ECJ, C-67/96 Albany [1990] ECR I-5751; Joined Cases C-115/97, C-116/97 and C-117/97 Brentjens [1999] ECR I-6025 and Case C-219/97 Drijvende bokken [1999] ECR I-6121.

  38. 38.

    Communication from the Commission of 20 November 2007, Services of General Interest Including Social Services of General Interest: a New European Commitment, COM(2007) 275.

  39. 39.

    Micklitz 2009.

  40. 40.

    Monti 2010.

  41. 41.

    See Micklitz 2009.

  42. 42.

    See HM Treasury, Public Private Partnerships: The Government’s Approach, London, HMSO 2000; HM Treasury, PFI: Meeting the Investment Challenge, London, HMSO, 2003. The EU has endorsed the use of PPP as part of the Initiative for Growth for the development of trans-European transport networks and the delivery of SGEIs: European Commission, Green Paper on Public–Private Partnerships and Community Law on Public Contracts and Concessions, COM(2004) 327 final; European Commission, Green Paper on Services of General Interest COM(2003) 270 final.

  43. 43.

    UN Economic Commission for Europe 2008.

  44. 44.

    Grimsey and Lewis 2007.

  45. 45.

    See Van de Gronden et al. 2011.

  46. 46.

    European Commission, White Paper on Services of General Interest, COM(2004) 374 final at 20.

  47. 47.

    Ross 2000.

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  1. School of Law, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    Erika Szyszczak

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  1. , School of Law, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, United Kingdom

    Erika Szyszczak

  2. , School of Social Sciences, Department of, University of Northampton, Park Campus, Boughton Green Road, Northampton, NN2 7AL, United Kingdom

    Jim Davies

  3. , Department of Private Law, University of Oslo, Domus Media, Karl Johans gate 47, Oslo, 0162, Norway

    Mads Andenæs

  4. , Department of Private Law, University of Oslo, Domus Exilii, St. Olavs gate 23, Oslo, 0166, Norway

    Tarjei Bekkedal

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Szyszczak, E. (2011). Introduction: Why Do Public Services Challenge the European Union?. In: Szyszczak, E., Davies, J., Andenæs, M., Bekkedal, T. (eds) Developments in Services of General Interest. Legal Issues of Services of General Interest. T.M.C. Asser Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-6704-734-0_1

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