Brussels, 14/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - Rainer Plassmann, General Secretary of the European Centre of Enterprises with public participation and of enterprises of general economic interest (CEEP) states in a press release that the Commission should respect the balancing measures adopted by the European Parliament in the Community's general interest for the development of the internal services market. CEEP above all calls on the Commission to acknowledge in its modified position - foreseen early April - the main elements of the political compromise carried at the EP and which aim to: 1) exclude the legislation on work and social security from the scope of the directive; 2) give up the principle of country of origin when it comes to the crossborder provision of services; 3) take into account the specific nature of services of general economic interest (SGEI), especially for approval regimes and exclusion from these services of the principle of free cross-border service provision; and 4) exclude services of general interest (SGI) from the directive.
Rainer Plassmann also reiterates a call for the definition of a Community framework specific to SGEI, in order to reduce the legal uncertainty surrounding such services.