In the European Union access to essential services is guided by the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) where Principle 20 stipulates that everyone has the right to easy-to-use and affordable key services, including water, sanitation, energy, transport, financial services and digital communications.

Currently, comprehensive evidence on the access to services across the EU is lacking. As outlined in the Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Commission released the first-ever "Access to Essential Services in the EU" report in June 2023. Based on triangulation of various sources (such as the report of European Social Policy Network and  Eurofound), the report highlighted that people at risk of social exclusion and disadvantaged groups face particular challenges. The report also provided overview on different solutions being used across member states to ensure access to public services. One can also read a concise summary of the outcomes of the report in the ESPON TerritoriAll magazine.

The objective of the research is to deliver a comparative outlook on how the provision of services in lagging regions and regions with special needs is addressed in European countries and regions. More specifically, the Hungarian Presidency seeks to find out at which territorial level certain public services (especially those which are not economically viable) are provided in lagging regions by other Member States and EFTA countries, what population and area they cover, and what the general organising principle of these services is. 

The contracted service provider was asked to look into five types of services: 

• Education (primary and secondary).
• Health (primary, outpatient and preventive care).
• Social care (childcare, elderly care).
• Regional public transport (ensuring access to work).
• Retail accessibility (although this is not per se a public service).