A European perspective on public service obligations for island transport services
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A European perspective on public service obligations for island transport services C . C h l o m o u d i s a , P. A . K o s t a g i o l a s b , S . P a p a d i m i t r i o u a a n d E.S. Tzannatosa a
Department of Maritime Studies, University of Piraeus, 40 Karaoli Dimitriou St., Piraeus 18532, Greece. E-mail: [email protected] b Department of Archive and Library Science, Ionian University, Corfu, Greece.
A b s t r a c t The European Union policy on territorial cohesion requires strong cooperation among stakeholders at various levels and the island transport policy dictates a need for technical consultation among all interested parties, encompassing all specific aspects (equal opportunities, insularity, geographical isolation, low population density, insufficiency of local markets potential and so on) of the economic and social cohesion. In order to achieve a consensus with regard to the transport services provided for every island in terms of quantity, quality and cost, a maximum level of transparency and objectivity must be ensured. To that effect, stakeholders should be involved in the selection and adaptation of the qualitative and quantitative specifications to be included in any given transport service agreement. This article aims at interrelating the island insularity issue to public service obligations (PSOs) by discussing a ‘contracting process’ implementation for the development of public service contracts. Moreover, transport service specifications for island regions are also discussed in the light of their deployment in Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), Private Financing Initiatives (PFIs) and Local Authority Ventures for the realization of PSOs. Maritime Economics & Logistics (2011) 13, 342–354. doi:10.1057/mel.2011.9
Keywords: island transport services; EU policies; public service obligations; public services contracts; Greece
Introduction As European Union (EU) policies evolved from the economic and social to the territorial (Lisbon Treaty) cohesion, the European Commission with the r 2011 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1479-2931 Maritime Economics & Logistics Vol. 13, 3, 342–354 www.palgrave-journals.com/mel/
A European perspective on public service obligations
publication of its Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion {SEC(2008)2550} opened a debate in search of a better understanding of the issue and its implications for EU policy. In its statement of October 2008, the European Commission acknowledges that (European Commission, 2008 b): From the frozen tundra in the Arctic Circle to the tropical rainforests of Guyane, from the Alps to the Greek islands, from the global cities of London and Paris to small towns and villages dating back centuries, the EU harbours an incredibly rich territorial diversity. Territorial cohesion is about ensuring the harmonious development of all these places and about making sure that their citizens are able to make the most of all the inherent features of these territories. As such, it is a means of transforming diversity into an asset that contributes to the sustainable
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