Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-13-Speech-2-010"
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"Mr President, may I begin by thanking this House and especially Mr Herzog, your rapporteur, for the remarkable efforts you have devoted to this complex and delicate issue that the Commission raised in its Green Paper on services of general interest. The Commission believes that public services are at the heart of the debate on the future of the European integration process. Every country of the Union has public services which are rooted in unique traditions and situations, particularly those of a local nature.
We regard the services of general interest as a vital component of the European social model. We believe that these services contribute to people’s quality of life and to the competitiveness of our industries and that they help to strengthen our social and territorial cohesion. This is equally true with regard to the future Member States, because the efficient provision of services of general interest is one of the keys to their smooth integration.
In its Green Paper of last May, the Commission undertook its first full re-examination of Community policies on services of general interest. This review was essential, particularly in the light of your own demand, stated in the Langen report of 2001, which had initiated a debate on the question whether a general legal framework should be created at the Community level for services of general interest.
At the present time we are in the process of finalising our analysis of the contributions received in the course of the public consultation. We have now received almost 300 contributions, many of which are very substantial, and they obviously merit detailed study. It would therefore be premature at this stage to draw precise conclusions from this work. We do, however, intend to formulate political conclusions before the effective end of this legislative term, thereby responding, in fact, to a unanimous request from your Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.
There is undoubtedly a need to decide on the type of instrument that the Commission will be able to propose as a means of ensuring that Europe enjoys high-quality public services. One of the options that can be considered is a framework directive enshrining a number of common principles: equality of user access, universality, continuity, adaptability and evaluation. I am aware that this has been the subject of lively debate here in Parliament.
Consideration can also be given to the adoption of a White Paper, pending the entry into force of the Constitutional Treaty, which contains what we regard as several steps forward on this point. In the meantime, a White Paper could define the political framework for our future activity or else provide a road map for the pursuit of the sectoral approach.
To supplement these efforts, we are continuing our work on other matters relating to services of general interest, and particularly the application of the rules governing state aid, in the wake of the Altmark judgment. Clear messages have emerged from the public consultation on this point. We need greater legal certainty in the domain of state aid, particularly a mechanism for exemption from notification with adequate coverage, given the number of cases that could potentially be affected by the application of the Altmark ruling.
In conclusion, our aim is to lay foundations that will enable the Community to play a more proactive role with a view to guaranteeing the provision of high-quality services of general interest to the public and to businesses. This approach will obviously have to take account of the subsidiarity principle, and our aim is to pave the way for the formulation of a coherent policy in favour of services of general interest within the Union, a policy that will provide the best possible elucidation of the relationships between the various tiers of government and of their respective responsibilities. Your resolution will be an essential and indispensable contribution to the definition of this approach, which is why the Commission awaits the outcome of your vote with eager interest."@en1
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