The Neutrality Principle (Article 345 TFEU)
Under Article 345 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the EU is strictly neutral regarding property ownership. This means a member state is legally permitted to:
Nationalize industries or maintain state-owned monopolies (like public rail, healthcare, or energy grids).
Maintain a massive public sector and extensive social welfare programs.
The Catch: State-Owned Entities Must Act Capitalist
While a country can legally own companies or entire sectors, it cannot operate them as a "command economy" (where the government dictates prices, protects its own companies from outside trade, or bans competition).Under EU rules:No Unfair Subsidies: The state cannot give its public companies financial advantages ("State Aid") that private competitors from other EU nations don't get.
Open to Competition: Even if a utility grid or rail network is state-owned, the country must generally allow private foreign companies to offer services on that network.
Equal Treatment: Public and private entities must compete on equal terms under standard market conditions.
Why do both parties just keep spending and creating more national debt.
The "our deficit spending is less that theirs" is why the two parties are the same.