1994, 27 April, Municipality of Almelo

To read the decision, click here.

Affr. C-393-92.

For French comments, see RTD com. 1996, p.403, obs. RETTERER, S ; AJDA 1996, p.637, obs. HAMON, François.

By its decision Municipality of Almelo, the European Court of Justice gives way to the concept of public service in the continuity of the decision  Corbeau.
 The case Municipality of Almelo concerned a monopoly on electricity supply. This is accepted by the Court for reasons of general interest. The public interest justifying the monopoly is not purely economic, since in this case, there was a concern for environmental preservation.
This shows the reconciliation between European law and the classical notion of public service, as it can justify the monopoly.

The decision is linked to the decision taken before in the case Corbeau (click here to read its presentation).