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4. Services of general interest

- “Market” and “non-market” activities of general interest.

- Article 86 of the TEC: undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of generaleconomic interest are subject to the rules on competition, in so far as the application ofsuch rules does not obstruct the performance of the particular tasks assigned tothem (postal, telecommunications, transport, electricity, broadcasting, etc.) .

- Article 16 of the TEC: the Community and the Member States must take care that suchservices operate on the basis of principles and conditions which enable them to fulfiltheir missions.

- Community action takes account of the subsidiarity principle, tries to maintain a balancebetween market play and general interest in the form of universal service or publicservice obligations.

- Example: Directive 97/67 (passed in 1998 and amended by Directive 2008/6 inDecemb

er 2008) on common rules for the proper functioning of the internal market,the gradual liberalisation and the improvement of quality of postal services . The finaldate for achieving full market opening of postal services is 31 December 2010, with thepossibility for some Member States to postpone the full market opening by a maximum of 2more years.