Sommario: 

1. I servizi pubblici locali dall’«instabilità» alla «deriva»: una premessa. 

2. La sentenza della Corte costituzionale 20 luglio 2012, n. 199: profili ricostruttivi.

3. Gli effetti diretti della decisione. 

4. Gli effetti mediati della pronuncia. 

5. I servizi pubblici locali di rilevanza economica tra ordinamento europeo, horror vacui del legislatore e discipline di settore: una chiosa conclusiva.

Abstract:

The Italian Constitutional Court has declared the illegitimacy of the art. 4, l. n. 148/2011 that established the general discipline of local public services of economic importance within the Italian Legal System; particularly, the Constitutional Court noted that such discipline was adopted in violation of the prohibition of restoring the law abrogated by popular referendum of 12-13 June 2011. Consequently, in view of the declaration of unconstitutionality, local public services of economic importance directly apply the European rules on the protection of competition. After providing a picture of the state of the art in the regulation of local public services as a result of the judgment of the Constitutional Court, this paper also focuses on the prospects of the sector.