This is the third book in the series Legal Issues of Services of General Interest. The book focuses upon a set of research questions on the recent developments in the emergence of services of general interest (SGIs) as a distinct EU concept. This includes, inter alia, the emergence of universal service obligations and the way they are regulated in the EU in primary and secondary law, the range of soft law communications adopted by the Commission to create a distinctive EU concept of SGIs, the residual role of hard law in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the special problems created by Social Services of General Economic Interest and the interaction of procurement and state aid law with SGIs. A new perspective is offered in this book: some of the issues faced by the EU in accommodating SGIs into a regulatory framework are found also in the policy of the WTO and in least developed countries (LDCs).

The EU has only limited competence to regulate national health-care systems but recent developments have shown that health care is not immune from the effects of EU law. As Member States have increasingly experimented with new forms of funding and the delivery of health-care and social welfare services, health-care issues have not escaped scrutiny from the EU internal market and from competition and procurement rules. The market-oriented EU rules now affect these national experiments as patients and health-care providers turn to EU law to assert certain rights. The recent debates on the (draft) Directive on Patients' Rights further underline the importance, but also the difficulty (and controversy), of allowing EU law to regulate health care. The topicality of the range of issues related to health care and EU law was addressed, in October 2009, at a conference held in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The present volume contains inter alia the proceedings of this conference and invited essays. This volume follows the publication of The Changing Legal Framework for Services of General Interest in Europe. Between Competition and Solidarity (Krajewski M et al (eds) (2009) T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague) and launches a new series: Legal Issues of Services of General Interest. The aim of the series is to sketch the framework for services of general interest in the EU and to explore the issues raised by developments related to these services. The book is compulsory reading for everyone who is engaged in issues relating to health care and EU law. Johan van de Gronden is Professor of European Law at the Law Faculty of the Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Erika Szyszczak is a Jean Monnet Professor of European Law ad personam and Professor of European Competition and Labour Law at the University of Leicester, UK. Ulla Neergaard is Professor of EU law at the Law Faculty of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Markus Krajewski is Professor of International Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.

'This fine collection of essays demonstrates in a very articulate way why EU State aid law has taken the centre stage of EU law. In eighteen chapters the reader is provided with a fascinating snapshot of the main issues and developments of the law. The key elements of the EU policy are analysed in a critical way often leading to new insights. In addition the book contains a wealth of material greatly facilitating further research.' - Piet Jan Slot, University of Leiden, the Netherlands 'European state aid law needs more self-questioning and more intellectual debate. In my view, this Research Handbook is a very valuable contribution to this necessary process. It correctly identifies the most intellectually problematic issues within state aid law and asks the right questions. This may be due to the balance in the excellent selection of contributors, coming both from the academia and from practice. This guarantees, on the one hand, that the questions are relevant in practice and not purely theoretical but also provides, on the other hand, for a rigorous analytical approach when confronting the issues. The result is a fresh and interesting new look to many of the basic issues of state aid law.' - Jose Luis Buendia Sierra, Garrigues, Brussels, Belgium, and King's College London, UK This timely new Handbook reflects on current issues that confront State aid law and policy in the EU. State aid was a neglected area of competition law until attempts to modernize it became central to the Lisbon process 2000 where the aim was to encourage 'intelligent' State aid by reducing aid to specific sectors and by making better use of aid for horizontal projects central to EU integration concerns. This policy framework has underpinned the new approach to State aid policy in the EU in recent years and informs many of the chapters in this book. Contributions from leading academics, regulators and practising lawyers, discuss topics devoted to modernization, problems faced by recent enlargements of the EU, the role of State aid in the fiscal crisis and recession, the role of the private market investor test, regional aid, environmental aid and the review of the Altmark ruling. Perspectives on State aid law and policy from the disciplines of economics and political science are also explored in detail. Research Handbook on European State Aid Law will appeal to academics, regulators, national and EU government officials, practitioners and postgraduate students who are involved in State aid law. Contributors: C. Ahlborn, A. Bartosch, A. Biondi, A. Birnstiel, M. Blauberger, L. Coppi, M.-A. Dittel, M. Everson, M. Farley, L. Hancher, H. Heinrich, H.C.H. Hofmann, K.-O. Junginger-Dittel, J. Kavanagh, T. Kleiner, M. Krajewski, R. Kramer, A. Lykotrafiti, C. Micheau, A. Morini, P. Nebbia, G. Niels, D. Piccinin, S. Pilsbury, F. Salerno, M. Schutte, E. Szyszczak

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 and 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. It is in this light that the authors in this book explore in great detail the different components of the new 'Almunia Package' of measures introduced in 2011-2012, offering a critical review and highlighting where the future direction of the regulation of SGEI may lead as the EU struggles in an economic climate of austerity to balance a new constitutional dimension of a 'highly competitive social market economy' with a modernisation agenda for the single market.

'This fine collection of essays demonstrates in a very articulate way why EU State aid law has taken the centre stage of EU law. In eighteen chapters the reader is provided with a fascinating snapshot of the main issues and developments of the law. The key elements of the EU policy are analysed in a critical way often leading to new insights. In addition the book contains a wealth of material greatly facilitating further research.' - Piet Jan Slot, University of Leiden, the Netherlands 'European state aid law needs more self-questioning and more intellectual debate. In my view, this Research Handbook is a very valuable contribution to this necessary process. It correctly identifies the most intellectually problematic issues within state aid law and asks the right questions. This may be due to the balance in the excellent selection of contributors, coming both from the academia and from practice. This guarantees, on the one hand, that the questions are relevant in practice and not purely theoretical but also provides, on the other hand, for a rigorous analytical approach when confronting the issues. The result is a fresh and interesting new look to many of the basic issues of state aid law.' - Jose Luis Buendia Sierra, Garrigues, Brussels, Belgium, and King's College London, UK This timely new Handbook reflects on current issues that confront State aid law and policy in the EU. State aid was a neglected area of competition law until attempts to modernize it became central to the Lisbon process 2000 where the aim was to encourage 'intelligent' State aid by reducing aid to specific sectors and by making better use of aid for horizontal projects central to EU integration concerns. This policy framework has underpinned the new approach to State aid policy in the EU in recent years and informs many of the chapters in this book. Contributions from leading academics, regulators and practising lawyers, discuss topics devoted to modernization, problems faced by recent enlargements of the EU, the role of State aid in the fiscal crisis and recession, the role of the private market investor test, regional aid, environmental aid and the review of the Altmark ruling. Perspectives on State aid law and policy from the disciplines of economics and political science are also explored in detail. Research Handbook on European State Aid Law will appeal to academics, regulators, national and EU government officials, practitioners and postgraduate students who are involved in State aid law. Contributors: C. Ahlborn, A. Bartosch, A. Biondi, A. Birnstiel, M. Blauberger, L. Coppi, M.-A. Dittel, M. Everson, M. Farley, L. Hancher, H. Heinrich, H.C.H. Hofmann, K.-O. Junginger-Dittel, J. Kavanagh, T. Kleiner, M. Krajewski, R. Kramer, A. Lykotrafiti, C. Micheau, A. Morini, P. Nebbia, G. Niels, D. Piccinin, S. Pilsbury, F. Salerno, M. Schutte, E. Szyszczak

First published in 1998, this volume drew upon a variety of primary and secondary sources from a number of academic disciplines. European Union Law provides not merely the materials which form the law, but also analysis of the pressures, ideologies and agents which have shaped it. It is suitable for newer types of European Union law courses which trace the development of the European Union from economic to political community as well as for the more traditional courses which focus predominantly upon the law of the Institutions and of the internal market. Suitable for both undergraduates and postgraduates.

First published in 1998, this volume drew upon a variety of primary and secondary sources from a number of academic disciplines. European Union Law provides not merely the materials which form the law, but also analysis of the pressures, ideologies and agents which have shaped it. It is suitable for newer types of European Union law courses which trace the development of the European Union from economic to political community as well as for the more traditional courses which focus predominantly upon the law of the Institutions and of the internal market. Suitable for both undergraduates and postgraduates.

The purpose of this book is to examine, from an EU perspective, the numerous developments which have taken place in the regulation of sporting activity in the last decade. Uniquely, in addressing these developments, the book adopts an inter-disciplinary approach, involving law, economics and sociology. The chapters place the regulation of sport in the context of the EU regulatory structure which hitherto has emerged in a piece-meal fashion and thus warrants a more holistic approach. The chapters bring together several key themes which arise from the question of whether sport is special? This addresses a growing argument that sporting activity displays unique properties which require a distinct form of regulation that existing competition or free movement rules cannot provide. The book is divided into three parts which reflect the current policy, legislative and judicial discourses that exists in the regulation of sport. The Regulation of Sport in the European Union provides both an academic and practical review of EU law and policy as applied to sport, and as such, this comprehensive overview will be of great interest to EU law academics, economists and political scientists. It will also appeal to legal practitioners and to those with an interest in regulatory processes in the EU.

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 and 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. It is in this light that the authors in this book explore in great detail the different components of the new 'Almunia Package' of measures introduced in 2011-2012, offering a critical review and highlighting where the future direction of the regulation of SGEI may lead as the EU struggles in an economic climate of austerity to balance a new constitutional dimension of a 'highly competitive social market economy' with a modernisation agenda for the single market.

The EU has only limited competence to regulate national health-care systems but recent developments have shown that health care is not immune from the effects of EU law. As Member States have increasingly experimented with new forms of funding and the delivery of health-care and social welfare services, health-care issues have not escaped scrutiny from the EU internal market and from competition and procurement rules. The market-oriented EU rules now affect these national experiments as patients and health-care providers turn to EU law to assert certain rights. The recent debates on the (draft) Directive on Patients' Rights further underline the importance, but also the difficulty (and controversy), of allowing EU law to regulate health care. The topicality of the range of issues related to health care and EU law was addressed, in October 2009, at a conference held in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The present volume contains inter alia the proceedings of this conference and invited essays. This volume follows the publication of The Changing Legal Framework for Services of General Interest in Europe. Between Competition and Solidarity (Krajewski M et al (eds) (2009) T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague) and launches a new series: Legal Issues of Services of General Interest. The aim of the series is to sketch the framework for services of general interest in the EU and to explore the issues raised by developments related to these services. The book is compulsory reading for everyone who is engaged in issues relating to health care and EU law. Johan van de Gronden is Professor of European Law at the Law Faculty of the Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Erika Szyszczak is a Jean Monnet Professor of European Law ad personam and Professor of European Competition and Labour Law at the University of Leicester, UK. Ulla Neergaard is Professor of EU law at the Law Faculty of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Markus Krajewski is Professor of International Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.

This is the third book in the series Legal Issues of Services of General Interest. The book focuses upon a set of research questions on the recent developments in the emergence of services of general interest (SGIs) as a distinct EU concept. This includes, inter alia, the emergence of universal service obligations and the way they are regulated in the EU in primary and secondary law, the range of soft law communications adopted by the Commission to create a distinctive EU concept of SGIs, the residual role of hard law in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the special problems created by Social Services of General Economic Interest and the interaction of procurement and state aid law with SGIs. A new perspective is offered in this book: some of the issues faced by the EU in accommodating SGIs into a regulatory framework are found also in the policy of the WTO and in least developed countries (LDCs).

This book looks at the changing role and nature of the regulation of State intervention in the liberalised and privatised markets of the European Union. It examines how the traditional role of the State is now challenged by European Union law, and the implications for traditional public services provided by the State. For the first time in an academic work, the book brings together the interaction of the Internal Market and the Competition rules of the European Union when they are applied to State economic activity. Individual chapters examine specific rules which address squarely the permissible role of State activity in competitive markets, for example an examination of the State aid rules, the rules in Article 86 EC regulating State monopolies and the controversial application of Articles 81 and 82 EC to the State. Other chapters examine the processes of privatisation and liberalisation with case studies on the postal sector, utilities and telecommunications.

An increasingly popular area of study within EC law, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to EC labour law. In particular, it will take account of developments since the Maastricht Treaty and the last Inter Governmental Conference. The book will cover all the main issues and areas of EC labour law, such as equal opportunities, individual employment law, health and safety issues, collective labour law, and worker participation and consultation. The particular strength of the book will be its clear focus on EC labour law, rather than social law in general, providing the reader with a far wider perspective on the subject.