Services Of General Interest And Territorial Cohesion

European societies and economies continue to rely on Services of General Interest (SGI) to produce legitimacy. Fair access to basic services such as transport, energy and communication infrastructures, education and health care is regarded as a cornerstone of the 'European Model of Society', as a way to promote Territorial Cohesion and lastly, as a right held by every EU citizen. These collective, regional and individual perspectives on Services of General Interest are in the focus of this edited volume. In the light of postmodern societies, demographic aging, migratory patterns, globalization and economic crises territorially sensitive challenges arise and targeted solutions are needed accordingly.

"Public services or more precisely, to use the EU's terminology, services of general economic interest have traditionally played a vital role in the normal functioning of the society in the Member States. Yet, their equity or non-economic components have often caused tensions with the internal market components, such as the free movement of production factors, competition and economic efficiency. To put it simply, their place within the internal market has been for a long time a persistent irritant in the European public debate. However, the situation has changed over time, in particular after the Lisbon Treaty which introduced the "new context" which seems to be more friendly to services of general economic interest than ever before. In this regard it is worth noting that, given the place occupied by services of general economic interest in the shared values of the EU as well as their role in promoting social and territorial cohesion, the EU and the Member States, each within their respective powers and within the scope of application of the Treaties, must take care that such services operate on the basis of principles and conditions, particularly economic and financial conditions, which enable them to fulfil their missions. It is a kind of joint responsibility for the effective provision of services of general economic interest which indicates that also the EU institutions must accept them as a building block of the European (market) integration process. In fact, the recent case law seems to support this thesis. The Post-Lisbon state of play in the discussed field is in the center of the book but for practical reasons it also offers a broader view to a reader. The book consists of the three interrelated chapters which relate in one way or another to services of general economic interest and corresponding supranational legal framework. The latter is par excellence topic of the EU (law). The introductory chapter is designed as the EU law toolkit which explains the values and aims of the EU, its competences and institutional structure, the fundamental legal principles and concepts which are of particular importance for services of general economic interest. This is followed by the second chapter, which sets the scene by explaining the socio-political background at the both levels, national and supranational. In addition, the second chapter discusses the concept of services of general economic interest and related concepts. The third chapter is the very core of the book because it discusses the present EU's legal framework for services of general economic interest. In addition to the general and sector-specific hard law, it includes most relevant case law and soft law. The main emphasis is, however, on the primary (constitutional) EU law, predominantly on the part relating market competition, e.g. Art. 101-109 TFEU, and on the part which directly address services of general economic interest, e.g. Art. 14 and the related Protocol, Art. 106(2) TFEU, and Art. 36 CFREU. As such, the book could be interesting for all those who, in one way or another, deal with public services or services of general economic interest. Namely, the book is primarily oriented towards experts dealing with those services within the EU, however, due to its structure as well as gradualist and systematical approach, it can reach other readers as well and enable them to understand the EU's legal framework for services of general economic interest"--

This book offers a comprehensive overview of several urban related aspects that are of central importance to successful territorial cohesion processes. In essence, it sheds new light on issues concerning urban polycentrism, functional urban regions, integrated sustainable urban development, and the EU Urban Agenda; and on how they can help to achieve territorial cohesion policy goals. As an elusive and fairly recent concept, territorial cohesion has to date only been vaguely debated in the available literature, which for the most part focuses on its historical origins and its relevance for EU policymaking. Instead, this book synthesizes, for the first time, a range of perspectives that place urban elements and policies at the core of territorial cohesion analysis. As such, and given the fact that territorial cohesion is a holistic concept, the book will appeal to a broad readership from both the academic and policymaking arenas.

"Territorial cohesion" strives for a more balanced spatial development and seeks to improve integration throughout the EU. The scientific articles in this volume examine the interpretations of this term, the challenges of European spatial development policy, and the problems and concepts involved in achieving territorial cohesion. Two short reports illustrate the implementation of territorial cohesion on the basis of two research projects.

This is the third book in the series Legal Issues of Services of General Interest. The book focuses upon a set of research questions on the recent developments in the emergence of services of general interest (SGIs) as a distinct EU concept. This includes, inter alia, the emergence of universal service obligations and the way they are regulated in the EU in primary and secondary law, the range of soft law communications adopted by the Commission to create a distinctive EU concept of SGIs, the residual role of hard law in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the special problems created by Social Services of General Economic Interest and the interaction of procurement and state aid law with SGIs. A new perspective is offered in this book: some of the issues faced by the EU in accommodating SGIs into a regulatory framework are found also in the policy of the WTO and in least developed countries (LDCs).

What purpose does the EU serve? Why and how was it set up? How does it work? What has it already achieved for its citizens, and what new challenges does it face today? In a globalised world, can the EU compete successfully with other major economies while maintaining its social standards? How can immigration be managed? What will Europe’s role be on the world stage in the years ahead? Where will the EU’s boundaries be drawn? And what future is there for the euro? These are just some of the questions explored by EU expert Pascal Fontaine in this 2017 edition of his popular booklet Europe in 12 lessons. Pascal Fontaine is a former assistant to Jean Monnet and former professor at the Institut d’Études Politiques, Paris.

The Institutionalisation of European Spatial Planning aims to clarify the enterprise of European spatial planning. The emphasis of the book lies on the need for a better understanding of the process of European integration in general. It particularly points at the emerging middle range theories that used concepts that were showing similarity to those that academics –those writing about planning– were accustomed to, such as networks, discourses and governance. The focus of this book is mostly on the post-European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP)– the Committee of Spatial Development – from 1999 until now. As it is collection of articles, it has a different gestation process and does not tell a story from A to Z. What this book is about, however, is merely the issue concerning the institutional capacity of the ESDP and whether this has evaporated or not. The fact that this book exists at all suggests it has not.

There is a strong international dimension to spatial planning. European integration strengthens interconnections, development and decision-making across national and regional borders. EU policies in areas such as environment, transport, agriculture or regional policy have far-reaching effects on spatial development patterns and planning procedures. Planners in the EU are now routinely engaged in cooperation across national borders to share and devise effective ways of intervening in the way our cities, towns and rural areas develop. In short, the EU has become an important framework for planning practice, research and teaching. Spatial planning in Europe is being ‘Europeanized’, with corresponding changes for the role of planners. Written for students, academics, practitioners and researchers of spatial planning and related disciplines, this book is essential reading for everybody interested in engaging with the European dimension of spatial planning and territorial governance. It explores: spatial development trends and their influence on planning the nature, institutions and actors of the European Union from a planning perspective the history of spatial planning at the transnational scale the planning tools, perspectives, visions and programmes supporting European cooperation on spatial planning the territorial impacts of the Community’s sector policies the outcomes of European spatial planning in practice.