Services of General Interest
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CEDAG promotes the definition of a European legal framework better adapted to services of general interest.

Services of General Interest (SGIs) are considered as a social, economic and territorial cohesion factor. They are considered as an essential characteristic of the European social model. They insure the fundamental rights to european citizens. In the most part of the EU member States, public authorities step in the management of these services.

SGIs are recognized in the European Treaties, since the Amsterdam treaty (1997), the Nice treaty (2001) and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Sectorial texts (electricity, transports, gas…) are also defining some General Interest missions, letting to the member States the right to define and organise precisely these missions. Many legislative texts are still under debates in the Parliament and the Council. The European Commission has published in May 2004 a white paper on SGIs and a communication on SGIs in 2007 released in the framework of the internal market review.

Social Services of General Interest (SSGIs) have the same characteristics as the Social services: they unable the effectiveness of fundamental rights. The question is that there is at the moment no specific process related to them and their situation regarding the European law on internal market and on competition remains uncertain. There is a need to initiate a process at European level aiming to consider the specificities of these services.

Seminars:

Articles:

 

CEDAG position papers

Letters from and to EU networks of Social Service Providers:

For more information:

CEDAG shares the view that SGIs play a key role in Europe by their fundamental contribution to the European Social Model and are a key element of social cohesion.

CEDAG also agrees with the description of objectives and principles of social services – description built on the results of the debate held with civil society and social economy organisations. CEDAG thinks that the Lisbon Treaty, and in particular protocol n°9, could help to clarify questions which raised during the consultation and rightly insists on the diversity of services and on the differences in the needs and preferences of users.

CEDAG stresses on the fact that the issue of quality assurance deserves better attention and invites the Commission to consider the work already made in this respect in the field of disability to other similar sectors.