Financing services of general economic interest

Erika M. Szyszczak, J. W. van de Gronden

This book examines the legacy of the 2003 ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union in 'Altmark'. This case changed the direction of how Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI) should be funded in the EU against a background of liberalisation, and the need for efficiency and global competitiveness. The book examines the European Commission's response to the 'Altmark' ruling in the measures known as the 'Altmark-Monti-Kroes Package' and charts the review of this package from 2009 culminating in a new package of measures, known as the 'Almunia Package'. The seemingly technocratic idea of a review of the 'Altmark-Monti-Kroes Package' could not have anticipated the demanding and changed economic and constitutional context of the EU in 2009.