Under European law, however, an SSGI is not classified as such on the basis of whether or how its activities are financed, but rather the converse: the classification of a service as an SSGI enables the public authorities to grant it (direct or indirect) public financing, notably in the form of compensation for costs connected with the fulfilment of its missions.
Or, conformément aux dispositions du droit communautaire, ce n’est pas l’existence, ni la nature du financement des activités qui induit la qualification de SSIG mais au contraire la qualification de SSIG qui permet aux autorités publiques de leur accorder des financements publics (directs ou indirects), notamment sous la forme de compensation des charges liées à l’accomplissement de leurs missions.