EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Today, there is a European Acquis (body of shared law) in the field of public services that defines the framework for the organ ization of basic services and gives clear guarantees to local governments (see Box 1. in the Europe Chapter of the full report). Institutional framework: the responsibilities of local authorities In Europe, basic services are at the heart of multiple and complex tensions between: Balancing the realization of an idealized common internal market with the fact that basic public services are anchored in specific local areas that have their own needs and objectives; Fulfilling public service obligations, in general and for each precise sector, to carry out “particular tasks” defined by public authorities to meet general interest objectives; Implementing the subsidiarity principle in the context of shared authority between European, national, regional and local levels in order to offer optimal public services; Working towards the objective of econom ic, social and territorial cohesion of the EU. Basic public services in Europe continue to be defined, organized, commissioned, financed, controlled and regulated in diverse political, administrative, economic, geograph ical, demographic and cultural contexts. In almost all European countries, the responsibility for water and sanitation management falls under the jurisdiction of municipalities or other local institutions. Municipalities are also generally responsible for municipal solid waste collection and transfer, though the recycling, treatment and disposal of solid waste sometimes falls under the jurisdiction of other authorities. Responsibilities also vary according to waste type (hazardous or non-hazardous, municipal, industrial, agricultural, commer-
cial, or construction). The (re)organization of waste services has been influenced, in some cases, by the increasingly rigorous environmental standards imposed by EU law. Urban transport is generally the responsibility of cities, a particularly important service, given the fact that about 70% of the European population lives in urban areas. The responsibilities of local authorities for electricity are limited in most countries, despite some moves towards the decentralization of energy policy. In each sector, the Europeanization of basic public services has led to common rules that frame the “free administration” powers of national, regional and local authorities. How ever, transversal rules for basic public services have also been adopted, in particular regarding funding and public procurement. Member States and sub-national governments are free to choose the management model used to deliver basic public services. The EU is neutral on the issue of the ownership of basic service providers. Overall, there is a general trend towards the sharing of powers and responsibilities between different levels of government, and between different institutions in each country and region, though differences exist in the intensity and scale of these interactions. This sharing of authority may be vertical or horizontal, inter-sectoral, or some combination of all three dimensions. Thus, in Europe, basic public services are increasingly subject to multi-level governance. Multi-level governance implies the de velopment of cooperative relationships and partnerships between stakeholders, the definition of appropriate geographical area of each service and, on that basis, the establishment of ‘organizing authorities’ for basic public services. Organizing authorities do not have exclusive responsibility for service provision; rather, they are tasked