This book looks at the changing role and nature of the regulation of State intervention in the liberalised and privatised markets of the European Union. It examines how the traditional role of the State is challenged by European Union law, and the implications for traditional public services provided by the State.
The book brings together the interaction of the Internal Market and the Competition rules of the European Union when they are applied to State economic activity. Individual chapters examine specific rules that address squarely the permissible role of State activity in competitive markets, for example an examination of the procurement rules, the State aid rules, the rules in Article 106 TFEU regulating State monopolies and the controversial application of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU to the State. Other chapters examine the processes of privatisation and liberalisation and the implications of regulation of liberalised markets where the State acts in a commercial capacity, with case studies on the postal sector, utilities and telecommunications. Attention is paid to the role of services of general economic interest (SGEIs) and the implications of liberalisation for social services of general interest (SSGIs).
