Comprehensive analysis showing that utilities and welfare services are important building blocks for the EU social market economy.

1. Questions, concepts and context; 2. The Treaty framework and the mixed economic constitution; 3. Public services and the free movement and citizenship case law; 4. Public services and the rules on competition and state aid; 5. Horizontal secondary rules ¿ services, procurement and transparency; 6. Vertical secondary rules ¿ the harmonized sectoral legislation for public services; 7. Conclusions and new directions.

Wolf Sauter is professor of healthcare regulation at Tilburg University, senior member of Tilburg law and economics center (TILEC) and competition expert at the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa). Apart from previous academic appointments in Bremen and Groningen Wolf has worked in telecommunications and financial markets regulation, as well as in private practice and with the DG Competition of the European Commission in Brussels.