THE SERVICES OF GENERAL INTEREST IN ROMANIA: INSIGHTS INTO LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES AT NATIONAL AND TERRITORIAL LEVEL

This paper addresses the legal and institutional issues generated by the organising and the provision of services of general interest (SGI) in Romania, with a special emphasis on the territorial distribution of competences and the derived responsibilities. It takes into consideration the classification of competences associated to local authorities as a result of the decentralisation process, which are divided into exclusive, shared and delegated ones. A series of drawbacks, inconsistencies are revealed followed by reflections on the solutions adopted by the authorities in favour of economic liberalisation and sustainable development of the local communities. The cooperation between the public authorities and the business sector is particularly addressed in this respect. In methodological terms, several interviews were conducted both among the general informants, namely academic representatives, policy makers, etc. and the representatives of the services providers, such as practitioners or public-administrato