Future-oriented Services of General Interest: Contemporary Design Instead of Ideological Barriers

Abstract

Services of general interest as the core of the public service provision have a long tradition in Germany. The term, once conceived by Ernst Forsthoff in the 1930s, was used to classify the urban citizen’s dependence on public infrastructure services such as energy, water and mobility. However, the concept of services of general interest has changed over time. While competition in particular did not play a role for Forsthoff due to the fact that at that time - and considering the prevailing economic policy - it was not a high priority. Nowadays the existing interaction between services of general interest and competition is underrepresented despite the implementation of EU laws. In addition, there are a lot of technological and market changes, such as digitisation and rising housing costs in cities, which necessitate a re-examination or even modification of the concept of services of general interest.