For more than twenty years, the “sectors” of Public Services / Services of General Interest have faced tremendous changes due to Europeanisation of the definition and organisation framework, policies of liberalisation, opening up of the markets, new rules, enlargement of the European Union, etc. It is therefore important to “map” the situation of enterprises providing services at European level and in all the 27 Member States.

 

In its scope as well as its approach, the research “Mapping of the Public Services” is the first of its kind; SGIs have not been studied at such a level before.

This research aims to provide up-to-date key information on enterprises providing SGIs in Europe. 

 

As such, this report is an important source of information for the development of knowledge of industrial relations in Europe. With this report, we provide an overview of key information such as the size of the various “sectors” or their contribution in the total economy. We also answer questions relating to the structure of SGIs, their market and ownership at national level, etc.

This research “Mapping of the Public Services” cannot be treated as an evaluation of SGIs’ performance or of the public polices of Europeanisation or liberalisation impact. Such an evaluation is based on specific objectives and methodologies. A good knowledge of the situation is no doubt a prerequisite for a scientifically based evaluation.

 

The research aims to establish in a scientific manner the size and weight of SGIs in the EU in terms of 4 in- dicators: the number of persons employed by providers of SGIs, the value-added, the number of enterprises providing SGIs and the investments operated by SGIs, at Community level and for each of its 27 Member States.

 

The research was undertaken in two stages. The first stage involved 9 Member States: Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, and Sweden. The second stage covered the other 18 Member States: Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Romania, The Netherlands, Luxemburg, Slovenia, Cyprus, and Malta.