Sommario: 

1. L’incertezza del dato normativo in materia di concessioni di servizi
tra diritto comunitario e diritto interno. 

2. Le caratteristiche strutturali e funzionali della concessione di servizi e la distinzione dall’appalto di servizi. 

3. La disciplina applicabile all’affidamento delle concessioni di servizi tra principi generali, disposizioni puntuali e discrezionalità dell’amministrazione. 

4. (Segue): L’Adunanza plenaria n. 13/2013 e la distinzione tra “norme di principio o esplicative di principi generali” e “mere disposizioni”. 

5. Il problema di una disciplina giuridica “per principi”, tra integrazione giurisprudenziale del dato normativo ed esigenze di certezza del diritto. Le prospettive di riforma nella proposta di direttiva sull’affidamento delle concessioni.

Abstract: 

The Award of Services Concessions Contracts between General Principles and Specific Rules Service concession contract is a traditional legal institute in administrative law that today has been “attracted” under the jurisdiction of European law in order to reinforce the single market and to strengthen competition law in the Member States. Nevertheless the regulation of the award of service concession contracts is still incomplete and based essentially on the general principles of European law mentioned in the Treaties (such as equal treatment, non-discrimination, transparency, competition, proportionality). In this context, especially the Italian administrative jurisprudence is playing an important role in trying to better distinguish the essential features of a service concession contract from the other public contracts and to outline “a basic framework” for the award procedures. Sometimes, however, the judicial decisions try to extend to the service concession contracts the application of many detailed rules, that are expressly referred to other public contracts, beyond any legislative provision. On one side, this sort of “creative” jurisprudence risks overturning the aim of the legislator to consider applicable only the general principles in order to maintain a greater flexibility and rapidity in the procedures and to preserve an important autonomy of the public administrations; on the other side, it risks creating a great legal uncertainty in the public authorities as well as in the stakeholders. In this perspective, the proposal for a directive of the European Commission on the award of service concession contracts, that seeks to define a clearer legal framework without unduly limiting the need for flexibility and rapidity of the procedure, should be looked at with favor.