EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
be defined. However, this cannot be the exclusive responsibility of local governments. In all sectors, in each local area, institutional levels should cooperate to build horizontal relationships, share knowledge, draw on synergies, and develop a holistic approach. Clarify the distribution of competences and responsibilities: there is a need to clarify powers and responsibilities by taking into account sectoral specificities, as well as national histories, traditions and institutions. Current transformations and governance innovations should be used to develop a mapping of competences, which cannot be absolute but must evolve according to technological change and users’ preferences. Establish simple, operational, but not standardizing common rules: the existence of some common European rules reflecting the general principles and common values is appropriate. However, these rules should be guided by the subsidiarity principle, under which decisions are taken at European level only if it is more effective than taking them at lower levels of government. Support diversity: for all services that remain under the “wide discretion of national, regional and local authorities” (Protocol 26 of the Lisbon Treaty), European institutions should not only respect sectoral diversity and the diversity of local realities, but also encourage innovation and experimentation, and develop exchanges of good practices and benchmarking. Articulate economic, social, territorial and environmental dimensions: basic public serv ices play an essential role in guaranteeing the fundamental rights of each person and
in promoting social, territorial and economic cohesion. They should fully take account of the challenges of climate change and sustainable development. In Europe, the largest part of carbon dioxide emissions is generated in cities, particularly by transport and public services. Therefore, public services have an essential role to play in sustainable development. Improve evaluation: evaluation could increase the efficiency of basic public services and allow them to better meet citizens’ needs. Evaluation may focus on the predefined objectives of the service or on its performance. This does not imply the creation of new topdown constraints for local public authorities, or comparisons between countries, operators and public authorities. Instead, it should foster exchanges of innovative experiences with an open flow of information about innovation, successes and failures. Evaluation should be a tool for the adaptation, evolution and modernization of local public services. Implement all the provisions of the EU treaties, in particular Protocol 26: the Lisbon Treaty reinforces the powers and responsibilities of local governments. The new provisions of the EU treaties should be implemented, in particular those on services of general interest, and most especially Protocol 26, which states that non-economic services of general interest are not bound by European competition law or the internal market. According to Protocol 26, services of general economic interest should take into account the diversity that may result from different geographical, social or cultural situations, as well as the values of service quality, safety and affordability, equal treatment and the promotion of universal access and user rights.