summary of the case
| status: | closed in preliminary procedure (Art.91) / complied in preliminary procedure |
|---|---|
| registered: | upon complaint 10.03.2017 |
In EU law, public service obligations evolved as a sector-specific tool for providing services of general economic interest (SGEIs). The European Commission explains SGEIs as economic activities which deliver outcomes in the overall public good that would not be supplied, or would be supplied under different conditions, without public intervention.
In particular, Article 3(2) of Directive 2009/73/EC allows for national legislation imposing public service obligations on natural gas undertakings provided that such obligations:
- pursue a general economic interest;
- comply with the principle of proportionality, i.e. impose public service obligations only in so far as is suitable and necessary to achieve their objectives in the general economic interest and, consequently, for a period that is necessarily limited in time; and
- are clearly defined, transparent, non-discriminatory, verifiable and guarantee equal access for natural gas undertakings of the Energy Community to national consumers.