(6 October 2008) UK consumer champion energywatch has published research led by the University of Greenwich, which reveals how low income households are failed, not only in the energy market but across seven essential services. The research examines the food, housing, water, telecommunications, public transport, financial services as well as the energy sector.
The report is called “Poor choices: the limits of competitive markets in the provision of essential services to low income (...)

The latest PSIRU report shows that independent evaluation of performance of network industries is needed more than ever.
The report, commissioned by EPSU, clearly disputes the Commission’s claim that: "consumers benefit as market opening leads to better performing network industries."
Ideological conviction that liberalisation must work has blinded the Commission to much of the evidence pointing to the contrary. The PSIRU critique details for example the negative impact of electricity (...)

John Maynard Keynes identified in the 1920s cost and demand conditions under which competition doesn’t emerge. This seems largely forgotten. Keynes goes further, to explain how economists move from simplifying assumptions to abandonment of the actual facts, and to conclude that reality is what their model says. The problems caused by introducing competition in the electricity sector in Europe (and documented by Steve Thomas of PSIRU in several publications for EPSU) but also Australia and (...)

The coalition met with the Commissioner. See the letter for more information. The European parliament decided on 14 March to support ’mandatory disclosure for corporate and other lobbyists’.

April 2006, Evaluating network services in Europe
a critique of the EC Evaluation of the Performance of Network Industries, by David Hall, PSIRU
Preface
This is the second critique by the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) on the European Commission’s evaluation of the performance of network industries (EPNI). It has been written by the Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU), with input from an expert meeting organised by EPSU on 22 February 2006.
As (...)

November 2005, Taking Stock of the Liberalization of public utilities: can structural reforms bring the Lisbon strategy back on track ?, Niklas Noaksson (ETUI-REHS)
It is claimed that liberalisation of public services like electricity, gas, transport and water will bring benefits including of higher long-term productivity and increased employment. It is vital that these claims are checked against reality. EPSU and affiliated unions are actively engaged in this process. EPSU has commissioned (...)

March 2005, Evaluating the impact of liberalisation on public services, a critique of the European Commission 2004 report “Horizontal Evaluation of The Performance of Network Industries Providing Services of General Economic Interest” EC SEC(2004) 866, by David Hall, Director, PSIRU - a report commissioned by EPSU
The European Commission published a Horizontal Evaluation Report assessing the performance of services of general economic interest in liberalised sectors. EPSU commissioned the (...)