Open AccessLimits to the European Commission – Managing Services of General Interests
Author(s) -
Jerzy Ząbkowicz
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
oeconomia copernicana
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.59
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 2353-1827
pISSN - 2083-1277
DOI - 10.12775/oec.2013.021
Subject(s) - discretion , commission , european union , treaty , public interest , business , competition (biology) , element (criminal law) , european union law , public administration , european integration , process (computing) , single market , economics , finance , political science , law , economic policy , ecology , biology , computer science , operating system
Services of general interest form an essential element of the European model of society as a way to increase quality of life and to overcome social exclusion and isolation. They are also at the core of the public debate touching the central question of the role public authorities and the institutions of the European Union play in a market economy. The competencies and responsibilities conferred by the Treaty, the EU regulations and directives lay emphasis on the essential role and the wide discretion of national, regional and local authorities in defining, organizing, financing and monitoring services of general interest. The same time the EU Law provide the European Commission with a wide range of means of action to ensure the compliance of the process of organizing and financing such services according to a comprehensive regulatory regime at Community level to make them compatible with the internal market and to prevent a distortion of the competition rules. The paper indicates divergences of the points of view of public authorities and the Commission on their role, shared responsibility and powers in that process.