Public Services and Related Concepts in the European Union

Public Services and Related Concepts in the European Union PDF Author: Aleš Ferčič
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781536164237
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
"Public services or more precisely, to use the EU's terminology, services of general economic interest have traditionally played a vital role in the normal functioning of the society in the Member States. Yet, their equity or non-economic components have often caused tensions with the internal market components, such as the free movement of production factors, competition and economic efficiency. To put it simply, their place within the internal market has been for a long time a persistent irritant in the European public debate. However, the situation has changed over time, in particular after the Lisbon Treaty which introduced the "new context" which seems to be more friendly to services of general economic interest than ever before. In this regard it is worth noting that, given the place occupied by services of general economic interest in the shared values of the EU as well as their role in promoting social and territorial cohesion, the EU and the Member States, each within their respective powers and within the scope of application of the Treaties, must take care that such services operate on the basis of principles and conditions, particularly economic and financial conditions, which enable them to fulfil their missions. It is a kind of joint responsibility for the effective provision of services of general economic interest which indicates that also the EU institutions must accept them as a building block of the European (market) integration process. In fact, the recent case law seems to support this thesis. The Post-Lisbon state of play in the discussed field is in the center of the book but for practical reasons it also offers a broader view to a reader. The book consists of the three interrelated chapters which relate in one way or another to services of general economic interest and corresponding supranational legal framework. The latter is par excellence topic of the EU (law). The introductory chapter is designed as the EU law toolkit which explains the values and aims of the EU, its competences and institutional structure, the fundamental legal principles and concepts which are of particular importance for services of general economic interest. This is followed by the second chapter, which sets the scene by explaining the socio-political background at the both levels, national and supranational. In addition, the second chapter discusses the concept of services of general economic interest and related concepts. The third chapter is the very core of the book because it discusses the present EU's legal framework for services of general economic interest. In addition to the general and sector-specific hard law, it includes most relevant case law and soft law. The main emphasis is, however, on the primary (constitutional) EU law, predominantly on the part relating market competition, e.g. Art. 101-109 TFEU, and on the part which directly address services of general economic interest, e.g. Art. 14 and the related Protocol, Art. 106(2) TFEU, and Art. 36 CFREU. As such, the book could be interesting for all those who, in one way or another, deal with public services or services of general economic interest. Namely, the book is primarily oriented towards experts dealing with those services within the EU, however, due to its structure as well as gradualist and systematical approach, it can reach other readers as well and enable them to understand the EU's legal framework for services of general economic interest"--

Public Services and Related Concepts in the European Union

Public Services and Related Concepts in the European Union PDF Author: Aleš Ferčič
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781536164237
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 232

Get Book

Book Description
"Public services or more precisely, to use the EU's terminology, services of general economic interest have traditionally played a vital role in the normal functioning of the society in the Member States. Yet, their equity or non-economic components have often caused tensions with the internal market components, such as the free movement of production factors, competition and economic efficiency. To put it simply, their place within the internal market has been for a long time a persistent irritant in the European public debate. However, the situation has changed over time, in particular after the Lisbon Treaty which introduced the "new context" which seems to be more friendly to services of general economic interest than ever before. In this regard it is worth noting that, given the place occupied by services of general economic interest in the shared values of the EU as well as their role in promoting social and territorial cohesion, the EU and the Member States, each within their respective powers and within the scope of application of the Treaties, must take care that such services operate on the basis of principles and conditions, particularly economic and financial conditions, which enable them to fulfil their missions. It is a kind of joint responsibility for the effective provision of services of general economic interest which indicates that also the EU institutions must accept them as a building block of the European (market) integration process. In fact, the recent case law seems to support this thesis. The Post-Lisbon state of play in the discussed field is in the center of the book but for practical reasons it also offers a broader view to a reader. The book consists of the three interrelated chapters which relate in one way or another to services of general economic interest and corresponding supranational legal framework. The latter is par excellence topic of the EU (law). The introductory chapter is designed as the EU law toolkit which explains the values and aims of the EU, its competences and institutional structure, the fundamental legal principles and concepts which are of particular importance for services of general economic interest. This is followed by the second chapter, which sets the scene by explaining the socio-political background at the both levels, national and supranational. In addition, the second chapter discusses the concept of services of general economic interest and related concepts. The third chapter is the very core of the book because it discusses the present EU's legal framework for services of general economic interest. In addition to the general and sector-specific hard law, it includes most relevant case law and soft law. The main emphasis is, however, on the primary (constitutional) EU law, predominantly on the part relating market competition, e.g. Art. 101-109 TFEU, and on the part which directly address services of general economic interest, e.g. Art. 14 and the related Protocol, Art. 106(2) TFEU, and Art. 36 CFREU. As such, the book could be interesting for all those who, in one way or another, deal with public services or services of general economic interest. Namely, the book is primarily oriented towards experts dealing with those services within the EU, however, due to its structure as well as gradualist and systematical approach, it can reach other readers as well and enable them to understand the EU's legal framework for services of general economic interest"--

Market Integration and Public Services in the European Union

Market Integration and Public Services in the European Union PDF Author: Marise Cremona
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199607737
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
Offering an analysis of the most pressing issues relating to the interaction between market integration and the provision of public services in the EU, this book addresses the underlying systemic issues, confronting core tensions at the heart of the EU's social and economic policy.

Public and Social Services in Europe

Public and Social Services in Europe PDF Author: Hellmut Wollmann
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137574992
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
This book presents comparative analyses and accounts of the institutional changes that have occurred to the local level delivery of public utilities and personal social services in countries across Europe. Guided by a common conceptual frame and written by leading country experts, the book pursues a “developmental” approach to consider how the public/municipal sector-centred institutionalization of service delivery (climaxing in the 1970s) developed through its New Public Management-inspired and European Union market liberalization-driven restructuring of the 1980s and early 1990s. The book also discusses the most recent phase since the late 1990s, which has been marked by further marketization and privatization of service delivery on the one hand, and some return to public sector provision (“remunicipalization”) on the other. By comprising some 20 European countries, including Central East European “transformation” countries as well as the “sovereign debt”-stricken countries of Southern Europe, the chapters of this volume cover a much broader cross section of countries than other recent publications on the same subject.

Public Services in EU Law

Public Services in EU Law PDF Author: Wolf Sauter
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107066123
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
Comprehensive analysis showing that utilities and welfare services are important building blocks for the EU social market economy.

Social Services of General Interest in the EU

Social Services of General Interest in the EU PDF Author: Ulla Neergaard
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9067048763
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 626

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Book Description
The EU has limited legislative competence in the field of social law. However, the Member States are increasingly modernizing social services and social (welfare) protection, attempting to make social services more efficient by increasingly looking to the market for the provision of such services. This policy move brings social services into the radar of EU law. The EU response to this sensitive issue has resulted in a piecemeal and fragmented approach towards the treatment of a new policy area of Social Services of General Interest (SSGI) in EU law and policy. This book is a first contribution towards charting how SSGI have emerged as a special category of SGI in the EU, the reaction of the Member States and stake-holders and how policy is being made through new governance processes, carve-outs and safe havens in legislation and soft law, especially in the light of the new values of the EU introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon 2009. It takes an inter-disciplinary approach and will be of interest to lawyers, economists and political scientists who are interested in EU policy-making as well as practioners, EU and national policy-makers. Ulla Neergaard is Professor of EU law at the Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Erika Szyszczak is a Jean Monnet Professor of European Law ad personam, Professor of European Competition and Labour Law at the University of Leicester, Barrister, Littleton Chambers, UK. Johan W. van de Gronden is Professor of European Law at the Radboud University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Markus Krajewski is Professor of Public and International law at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.

Services of General Economic Interest as a Constitutional Concept of EU Law

Services of General Economic Interest as a Constitutional Concept of EU Law PDF Author: Caroline Wehlander
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9462651175
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 374

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Book Description
This book offers a legal understanding regarding the core elements of SGEI (Services of General Interest), and of how the post-Lisbon constitutional framework on SGEI affects the application of the EU market rules by the EU Court of Justice, including procurement rules, to public services. It is built up of three parts, namely Part I: No Exit from EU Market Law for Public Services, Part II: SGEI as a Constitutional Voice for Public Services in EU Law, and Part III: The cost of loyalty, the relationship between EU procurement and state aid legislation on social services and the Treaty rules on SGEI, ending with a case study of Swedish systems of choice. Analyses are also provided on how the EU legislator engages in the Europeanisation of social services through EU procurement and state aid rules that have an ambiguous relationship to the Treaty framework on SGEI. Some explanation to this ambiguity is proposed by studying how the application of EU state aid rules could hinder the development of Swedish systems of choice liberalizing publicly-funded elderly care and school education. Included are propositions on crucial but yet unsettled legal questions, in particular what the legal meaning and relevance of the notion of economic activity in EU market law are and which core elements characterize SGEI. This book is therefore mainly aimed at legal academics and practitioners but may also be of interest to political scientists. Caroline Wehlander studied at Umeå University and holds the title of Doctor of Laws. She lives and works in Sweden.

Developments in Services of General Interest

Developments in Services of General Interest PDF Author: Erika Szyszczak
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9067047341
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
This is the third book in the series Legal Issues of Services of General Interest. The book focuses upon a set of research questions on the recent developments in the emergence of services of general interest (SGIs) as a distinct EU concept. This includes, inter alia, the emergence of universal service obligations and the way they are regulated in the EU in primary and secondary law, the range of soft law communications adopted by the Commission to create a distinctive EU concept of SGIs, the residual role of hard law in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the special problems created by Social Services of General Economic Interest and the interaction of procurement and state aid law with SGIs. A new perspective is offered in this book: some of the issues faced by the EU in accommodating SGIs into a regulatory framework are found also in the policy of the WTO and in least developed countries (LDCs).

Public Services in EU Trade and Investment Agreements

Public Services in EU Trade and Investment Agreements PDF Author: Luigi F. Pedreschi
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9462653836
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
This book examines the impact of EU trade and investment agreements on public services, a topic that continues to be the subject of heated political debate. It surveys a broad range of EU agreements and provides a comprehensive, up-to-date analysis of the rules and disciplines of such agreements that can affect the provision of public services. Going beyond the existing literature, it asks whether the treatment of public services in EU trade and investment agreements is coherent with the special status of public services in “internal” EU law, specifically internal market law, while also challenging the notion that trade and investment agreements automatically pose serious threats to public services. The book will be of keen interest to legal scholars and students specialising in EU and/or international economic law together with national and international policy-makers. Luigi F. Pedreschi is affiliated to the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, and currently works as a Research Associate at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, also located in Florence.

The European Union Diplomatic Service

The European Union Diplomatic Service PDF Author: Caterina Carta
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113666906X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
The book analyses the processes of institution and identity building of the European Union Diplomatic Service working on matters of foreign policy and external economic relations, both in Brussels and in the Commission’s Delegations across the world. The book examines what images high ranking officials in charge of the EU foreign policy hold of the EU’s and of the Commission’s role in international politics. The author explains how the EU diplomatic network came into being, how it is currently organised and what changes are likely to take place with the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. Through an empirically grounded and theoretically informed approach, it analyses how their idea of Europe is enacted through the Commission’s diplomatic practices. Carta demonstrates how processes of socialization can bring about different foreign policy priorities, role conceptions and identities. This book makes an important contribution to debates about the idea of Europe, the European Union and European foreign policy, as well as more generally to the analysis of how ideas, identities and self-images shape the daily practice of large institutional bodies in international politics. It will be of interest to students and scholars of European politics, foreign policy, international organizations, international relations and diplomacy.

Public Services and the European Union

Public Services and the European Union PDF Author: Laura Nistor
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9789067048057
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 446

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Book Description
Politically sensitive and economically important, welfare services such as health care, health insurance and education have opened up a heated debate in the EU. The application of EU law to welfare services raises discontent from the part of the Member States who perceive their systems to be under threat. Resisting to the application of the EU law is sometimes seen as part of protecting those values. This book suggests that this resistance is largely unjustified. EU law is not damaging to welfare systems, but it provides adequate balancing mechanisms to ensure that all interests are protected. The approach taken in analysing the impact of EU law on welfare services is to look at the negative integration process and answer the questions related to the extent to which EU law applies to welfare services and the kinds of safeguards the Court offers for these services. The proportionality principle distinguishes itself as the central element in balancing national and Community interests. Being part of the broader integration process, negative harmonization creates legislative lacunae, and therefore, this book also looks at alternative solutions to the negative harmonization process, namely positive and soft law.