efficient high-quality services of general interest

40. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to respect the diversity of the methods of organising and managing SSGI, of their resources and of the methods of funding these services; calls on the Member States to reverse ‘reforms’ which have institutionalised market-based models of welfare provision, with competition and tendering obligations, and to cease promoting public-private partnerships or externalising social services to the private sector as these are misleading strategies for ‘modernising’ social services; considers that taking care to promote the general ...[+++]lass=yellow2> interest and ensure the provision of efficient and high-quality services by both the public sector and the not-for-profit 'third’ sector or the social economy is the most appropriate strategy for ensuring high-quality, integrated and inclusive social services;

It deals with globalisation and liberalisation, raising the question of whether a general legislative framework should be established at Community level for services of general interest, and seeks to deal with these issues by asking questions about: the impact of any additional Community initiatives to implement the treaty, in full respect of the principle of subsidiarity; the principles likely to be incorporated in any framework legislation on services of general interest and the actual adde ...[+++]d value of legislation of that kind; the definition of good governance in the organisation, regulation, funding and evaluation of services of general interest; an examination of any new measure likely to be taken to increase legal certainty and facilitate consistent, harmonious coordination between the objective of safeguarding high-quality services of general interest and the rigorous application of the competition and internal market rules.

13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to respect the diversity of the methods of organising and managing SSGIs, of their resources and of the methods of funding these services; also calls for the establishment of public-private partnerships to provide such services, while taking care to promote the general interest and ensure the provision of efficient and high-quality services;

Finally, the coach and bus transport sector must guarantee efficient, high quality services: greater passenger comfort, right to information on fares, contractual terms, treatment of complaints, mechanisms for resolving disputes, vehicles which are better adapted to the needs of persons with reduced mobility, etc.