ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION The experience of public enterprise development in the European Community has until recently been one of gradual expansion, almost irrespective of the political identity of the government. Central and local governments have intervened to create, rescue or take over firms in a variety of economic sectors (manufacturing, services and utilities), motivated by a mixture of reasons ranging from ideological conviction through short-term expediency to strategic planning. Countries have for the most part respected one another’s different approaches to the issue, as have the institutions of the Community.
