Le cadre réglementaire européen en matière de services publics : législation, financement et contraintes

This paper provides an overview of public services / services of general (economic) interest from the European Union (EU) perspective. The first part sums up, in four theoretical phases, the evolutionary process that led to the consolidation of the European legal framework for those services. The second part analyses the legal provisions, within EU treaties, dedicated to those services. Finally, the third part highlights some of the most critical issues related to the regulation of such services, notably: financing issues, regulation of State aid and the division of competence between the EU level and the national level (principle of subsidiarity).