Brussels, 27/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Monday the Internal Market Council adopted conclusions on general interest services, which will be passed on the Laeken Summit on 14 and 15 December. The Presidency underlined before the press the importance on these conclusions, adopted in line with the Nice Summit, in order to ensure the compatibility of State aid given to the providers of general interest services with European competition regulations. In practice, the Council gave the go-ahead to the Commission for it to first present a Community framework, then an exemption regulation on aids to general interest services, which should be presented to the Copenhagen European Council in December 2002.
In these conclusions, the Ministers welcome the report presented by the Commission last 17 October and note "with satisfaction" that the Commission intends to improve the legal security in the enforcement of rules on State aid to general interest services, by first presenting a Community guideline framework for State aids granted to companies entrusted with ensuring general interest services. This framework should clarify among others the conditions in which compensatory measures are not covered by the rules relating to State aids. The Council noted among others that the Commission will examine the possibility of consolidating and specifying in a framework directive the principals relating to general interest services which infers Article 16 of the Treaty while taking into account the specific nature of the various sectors concerned, and while awaiting with interest the results of this examination. Finally, the Council confirmed its intention to continue granting great attention to general interest services in the economic reform process and in the present development of the internal market.
Germany and the Netherlands, rallied by the United Kingdom and Finland, specified in a declaration annexed to the minutes of the meeting that they noted that the policy of market opening in the EU would only be brought into question by the provisions relating to general interest services. They note that liberalisation and competition have positive effect on the overall quality of the services and also on that of the general interest services.
During the short debate, Commissioner Frits Bolkestein indicated that the Commission would examine the content of the Community framework while taking into account the Council's conclusions. France insisted on the drafting the exemption regulation, while feeling that would be a clear signal, in line with the conclusions from the Nice Summit on public services. The United Kingdom supported the two stage approach that will lead to the creation of a Community framework then the exemption regulation, and raised while passing the importance of the debate begun by the Commission into "golden shares". Germany and the Netherlands where, on the contrary, more reticent, when insisting on the continuation of the liberalisation within the Single Market.