Therefore, Member States could explore the possibility for the self-employed to receive benefits (e.g. health, retirement, disability, unemployment benefit in case of business closure/bankruptcy, etc.) that are comparable to the benefits for employed workers without reducing those of the latter.

In this context, it is not ruled out that services provided by insurers in the context of designation by the social partners can be considered a service of general economic interest in so far as the agreement between the social partners in the context of designation is made obligatory for all undertakings in the sector concerned (or the undertaking concerned) and covers risks which are not covered or are insufficiently covered by the public social security system.

25. Is of the opinion that outsourcing the supply of SGIs normally imposes on the authority in question the obligation to assign the service on the basis of a public service contract, following a public tender procedure; notes that the principle of awarding a public service contract should allow the competent authority the opportunity to transfer a public service contract in emergencies; calls on the Commission, together with the Member States and the Parliament, to clarify the relevant criteria in the procurement directives or in the form of a regulation; in this context, affirms that local authorities should be able to assign servic ...[+++]e tasks directly to inter-communal companies or similar forms of joint arrangements, or to companies that they own or control, provided that such bodies carry out the essential part of their activities for the controlling authority or authorities, and do not compete on external markets but constitute only a domestic organisational practice and an arrangement must be found which does not categorically exclude private participation from the outset;

23. Is of the opinion that outsourcing the supply of a service of general interest normally imposes on the authority in question the obligation to assign the service on the basis of a public service contract, following a public tender procedure; notes that the principle of awarding a public service contract should allow the competent authority the opportunity to transfer a public service contract in emergencies; calls on the Commission, together with the Member States and the Parliament, to clarify the relevant criteria in the procu ...[+++]rement directives or in the form of a regulation; in this context, affirms that local authorities should be able to assign service tasks directly to inter-communal companies or similar forms of joint arrangements, or to companies that they own or control, provided that such bodies carry out the essential part of their activities for the controlling authority or authorities, and do not compete on external markets but constitute only a domestic organisational practice and an arrangement must be found which does not categorically exclude private participation from the outset;

If they lost their job, these employees who work in a business controlled by their spouse, these workers described as wife associates, would not be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits because of their status.

Whereas the activities of patent buying and licensing companies are conducted as part of the exploitation of inventions and are distinct from the activities usually conducted by banks and other financial institutions ; whereas, therefore, although falling within Group 620 of the ISIC Nomenclature, such activities do not come within the scope of Council Directive No 73/183/EEC (4) of 28 June 1973 on the abolition of restrictions on freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services in respect of self-employed activities of banks and other financial institutions;