European Parliament
Emanuel Jardim Fernandes (PSE ),
in writing
(PT)
As draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Transport and Tourism on the Commission White Paper on Services of General Interest (SGIs), I fought for the following:
- the complete exclusion of SGIs – both non-economic (SNEGIs) and economic (SGEIs) – from the scope of the directive on services in the internal market (the ‘Services Directive’).
- the adoption, by contrast, of a framework directive, a framework legislation or a general legal framework, call it what you will, for SGIs (including SGEIs, although this does not prevent the latter from being subject to a specific sectoral regulation); and
- the definition and description of SGIs, along with a clarification of the distinction between SNEGIs and SGEIs, for the purpose of legal certainty.
Broadly speaking, I feel that these ideas have been covered in this report. I therefore supported and voted in favour of this report.
I am disappointed, however, that the report did not incorporate another of the main ideas that I put forward in the opinion of which I was the draftsman, namely a recognition, in the context of SGIs, of the unique situation of the outermost regions, in view of the particular structural and permanent obstacles that they face.

