{We see this campaign as a vital step in the fight to defend access for all to affordable, quality services of general interest which are an essential resource in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. We support the petition demanding an EU legal framework for Services of General Interest.
Many of our members are NGO service providers or engaged in non-profit-making services working directly with people experiencing poverty, which complement public services in this area and are increasingly concerned about the drive to extend the internal market, and the pressures to liberalise and privatise public services without sufficient guarantees on access, quality and affordability. This runs the risk of endangering social rights and exacerbating the reality of poverty and social exclusion for the most vulnerable. With the agreement on the Services Directive at the end of 2006, it becomes even more urgent that the EU takes seriously the demands for an explicit EU legal framework for Services of General Interest and to defend quality public services.}
9 March 2007, Brussels