Download pdf - European Union of Developers and House Builders

25Services in the Internal Market and Services ofGeneral Interest and General Economic InterestAs social services are being modernised in many EUMember States, often in partnership with the privatesector and non-profit organisations, everyone involvedneeds clarification on how European law affects theevolving situation. A new communication adopted inJune 2006 by the European Commission addresses thisAt its meetings in Oxford in September 2006, UEPC hadthe pleasure of welcoming Prof. Bartosch, who made apresentation on the New State Aid Law.Services Directive 2006/123/ECIn December 2006 the final text of the directive wasadopted. The Directive on Services in the InternalMarket is aimed at breaking down barriers to tradeissue and the rapid changes in ‘social services of generalinterest’ (SSGIs). The communication presents for thefirst time a list of these services’ specific characteristicsand reviews the support they receive from variousexisting community instruments. The services differfrom country to country, but can include sectors such associal housing.In March 2007 the European Parliament adopted aresolution based on the own-initiative report drafted byJoel Hasse Ferreira in response to the Commissioncommunication on SSGIs. The EU Parliament pointedout that there was an urgent need to clarify conceptssuch as ‘public service’, ‘service of general interest’,‘service of general economic interest’, and ‘social serviceof general interest’, and the legal framework withinwhich SSGIs operate.On several occasions in 2006 and 2007, UEPC sentletters to explain its views to individuals in theEuropean Commission and Parliament working on thisissue. UEPC is closely monitoring progress and newinitiatives in this area, as there is a risk of distortingcompetition between private and public house buildersin terms of granting state aid, and because there areopportunities for developers to cooperate with publicenterprises in public private partnerships.in services across the EU. It has been one of the mostdisputed pieces of EU legislation in recent years, withproponents arguing that it will boost European competitivenessand critics attacking it for producing ‘socialdumping’.In 2007 the European Commission published a handbookon the implementation of the Services Directive.The aim was to provide Member States with technicalassistance in implementing the directive. It will betranslated and published in all official EU languages. Transpositionfor Member States is 28/12/2009 at the latest.In March 2006, UEPC voiced its concerns about thedraft directive and pointed out the interference betweenthe proposed Services Directive and the SSGI proposal,as well as the risk that competition would be distorted.Public Private Partnerships - PPP andInstitutionalised PPPAt the EU level, there was no real official progress onthis file in 2006-07. The announced clarification of theinstitutionalised PPP has yet to be published.As an issue of importance to UEPC members, this fileremains on hold.