Tag: public services

A European Commission communication on state aid rules for public service utilities – ranging from water supply to energy provision – was welcomed yesterday (23 March), though proposals to clarify such rules may prove thornier when further details emerge later this year.

Demand for mental health services has increased over the past 12 months as people struggle to cope with unemployment, debt, home repossession and threat of redundancy, according to a new study.

The European Commission has just nominated the "Hands" project, aimed at facilitating communication between citizens and public administrations, as the best e-government initiative of 2007. But while "Hands" is yet to be applied, for over a year citizens in the Belgian city of Waterloo have been able to ask for information from the town hall through an easy-to-use robot.

A broad alliance of organisations, ranging from the Committee of the Regions to trade unions, has welcomed provisions on public services in the draft mandate for the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC), which will negotiate a new EU Treaty.

The European Parliament put an end to seven years of negotiations on 10 May 2007, by adopting a compromise text on how public transport service contracts should be awarded in member states.

As Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy prepares to sort out the rules governing public-private partnerships (PPPs), Michael Burnett, public procurement expert and senior lecturer at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), tells EurActiv why it is so important to develop PPPs in Europe.

European trade unions have launched a Europe-wide petition calling on the Commission to establish rules to protect public services that are vital to the health and well-being of citizens.

A recent expert report argues that public sector demand for new products and services can boost innovation and increase investment in and take-up of related R&D.