EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
to piped water is close to 100%, while in the Eastern part of the continent, access is improving but remains lower, particularly in rural areas. In Northern Europe, more than 85% of the population has access to im proved sanitation, while in southern European countries the proportion falls to 4060%, with access levels even lower in the East. There is also a significant rural-urban divide in this sector. Access to solid waste services also varies. Not all households are provided with solid waste collection services; this is particularly the case in Central, Eastern and Baltic countries, as well as in Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. Broadband is still only considered a basic public service in a few countries, but increasing numbers of municipalities are setting up free Internet access in public places. Similarly, the provision of child and elderly care services varies considerably between countries. Organizing the expression of needs: the effective governance of basic public services requires the organization of the changing needs of citizens. By combining different levels of organization and facilitating a democratic debate with citizens and users, solutions can be found to ensure that needs are met. Methods of participation vary by country, and may take the form of open meetings of local councils, referendums, online debate and feedback, public meetings, and public consultations. Participation includes public debates on different alternatives (technical, economic, sectoral, inter-modal solutions) between stakeholders (users, service operators and their s taff, and elected officials). A strategic social dialogue: effective governance requires the development of a strategic social dialogue to converge users’ expectations with those of workers and trade unions. The 2008 European Commis-
sion report on industrial relations included a typology of national industrial relations arrangements, which groups the EU Member States into five regimes, according to union and employer organization, the power relations between them, levels and styles of bargaining, the space for social partner intervention in public policy and for state intervention in union-employer relations: North (the “organized corporatism”, Centre- West (the “social partnership”), South (the “state centred” approach), West (the “liberal” pluralism), Centre-East (a “mixed” approach - polarised or state-centred regime). The essential role of citizens and elected officials: public authorities and elected officials play an essential role in organizing the evaluation and control of services to ensure their adaptability to changing needs. Taking into account the needs and expectations of users gives them a better knowledge of the challenges they face and the choices on offer. At the same time, public authorities must assume the ultimate responsibility for defining the objectives of each public service, implementing the best ways to achieve them, and organizing and evaluating results and adapting the decisions they take accordingly. Developing evaluation and control and implementing changeability: improved evaluation of the performance of basic public services is needed in Europe. The use of specific indicators to evaluate the performance of basic services and municipalities is being developed at national and local level. Some indicators are made public and/or involve the direct or indirect participation of service users. European rules do not require Member States to create regulatory agencies for the basic public services covered in this report, with the exception of electricity. Such agencies are uncommon at national and local level.