CEEP Activity Report 2009 Increased Action in Times of Change
CEEP Activity Report 2009 INCREASED ACTION IN TIMES OF CHANGE Editorial CEEP is on the eve of celebrating its 50 year anniversary in Brussels. As an organisation which initially came into existence shortly after the signing of the treaty of Rome establishing the European Economic Community, it has participated in the development and establishment of the European Union. CEEP has evolved in tandem with Europe, reflecting the needs of a changing society, gaining increasing recognition for Public Services who make up and contribute to the fabric of our society as we know it. We will all remember 2009 for different reasons –o bama’s inauguration in the US, world recession, financial crisis, a botched Copenhagen Climate Summit etc. For CEEP, 2009 was significant as it became increasingly clear that the importance of Public Services and their contribution to the European economy on a number of levels, from employment to GdP, particularly in times of economic instability, was still not fully recognised. Public Services, also known as Services of General interest (SGis), are services whose provider is entrusted by a public authority (national, regional or local) with specific missions by virtue of general interest. These services can either be of economic or non-economic nature and their missions can include Public Service obligations or universal service obligations. Public Services include energy, water, public transport, postal services, telecommunications as well as healthcare and social work, public administration, defence, education, etc. in response to a question from Nicolaos Vakalis (former MEP) to Commissioner Špidla on the significance of Public Services in Europe, CEEP, with the financial support of the European Commission, embarked on a comprehensive, Europe-wide measurement and analysis of Public Services.
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