Public Utility Services in Poland and Belarus

Abstract

The text deals with the definition of public services and their scope in Belarus and Poland. As a result of the conducted research, it was found that it is difficult to accept one criterion indicating that the given services are public. A permanent criterion of non-payment for the services provided cannot be accepted, as there are public services which are paid for. A wide group of beneficiaries may indicate that it is a service or product of general interest. A comparison of the scope and services of public utility in Belarus and in Poland shows their wider scope present in Belarus. The aim of the study is to investigate: − whether the scope of public utility has evolved in the last thirty years, after the political transformation that took place in Poland and Belarus, − what scope of public utility services is provided by the public administration in Poland and Belarus, − whether services of general interest can be provided by private entrepreneurs in these two States. Conducting the research required the use of a comparative research method aimed at comparing the legal regulations regarding the conduct of activities in the field of public utility in Poland and in Belarus. The historical-legal method was also used to show the evolution of the scope of public utility services through the change of legal regulations.