A dramatic change of ownership, regulation, and organisation of essential public services, such as electricity, gas, and telecommunications, has taken place in Europe in less than twenty years. This was not the outcome of spontaneous adaptation, but an entirely top-down policy experiment, mainly conceived in London during Mrs. Thatcher's years, then pursued in Brussels - the "capital" of the European Union--and imposed on more or less reluctant players by laws, directives, regulations, and administrative and judicial decisions. The European reform paradigm revolves around three pillars:...

Network industries such as electricity, gas, the railways, local public transport, telecommunications and postal services are recognised by the EU as crucial for fostering European social and territorial cohesion. Providing an overview of key policy reforms in these network industries, as well as an empirical evaluation, this thought-provoking book offers a critical perspective on the functioning of the industries that provide vital services to EU citizens. Key features include: - analysis of policy reforms through the lens of welfare effects on citizens as users - an innovative focus on the...