Brussels, 25/06/2003 (Agence Europe) - With a view to the debate on his report on services of general interest in Europe, MEP Philippe Herzog (French member of the European United Left Group) is publishing a special edition of his review "L'Option de Confrontations" entitled "Objective SIG", in which fourteen authors coordinated by André Ferron pose a series of key questions in the debate that has developed especially after the publication of the European Commission Green Paper. They ask: Is it necessary to change the treaties and establish a framework directive? How can effective financing and pluralist assessment of SIG at European level be established? (Site: http://www.confrontations.org ).
Mr Herzog, whose report should be adopted in plenary in October or November, states he is convinced that a new compromise is possible at European level in favour of SIG. A new strategy must be launched to allow a common standpoint to be taken on the development of SIG, he states, noting that SIG are built within each nation and that the construction of the larger European market is striking them. The Union, he states, imposes liberalisation that is useful and "controlled" but does not assume the responsibility of guaranteeing these services. Mr Herzog goes on to say that the failings of the market are visible and the market and competition rules are far from being always consistent with the public regulations indispensable for SIG.
Mr Herzog insists: first of all a positive response must be given to those who "rally in favour of legal protection" as, in the current configuration of treaties and competences, a local, regional or national public authority does not know how far and for how long it can guarantee SIG. Another necessity is that of overcoming the "national conflicts of interest" which are at the heart of dispute over SIG. Mr Herzog speaks of "cultural misunderstanding" especially between France and Germany, "when agreement should be possible as each party is extremely attached to such services". In Germany, however, the Daseinvorsorgen come under a social philosophy and a local and regional management. In France on the other hand, the "public service" is a State doctrine (EDF, a public establishment, however, acts outside France as a private company which buys up networks and sells services).
The European Commission in its Green Paper proposes to move toward extension of the Community scope for the SGEI category (services of general economic interest, the term used in the treaty in Articles 16, 36 and 86) with large networks, a category which has already been the subject of sector-specific directives, without stating an option for the other companies. Mr Herzog, however, proposes making a clear distinction between: - fundamental non-commercial SIG, such as education, health, access to employment (where all harmonisation must be ruled out); - proximity SIG (where the threat of European standardisation of management methods must be put to one side); - SIG for access to common material or immaterial goods, such as the environment or information (a whole new field to be developed, with legal bases already existing for the environment, but not for information, except for a few competition policy elements); - large network SIEG such as energy, transport, telecommunications and postal services (these come under the internal market but, when it is a question of public goods, a specific regulation is essential, and competition rules must be adjusted and solidarity organised.