This article reviews the consequences of liberalization and regulation processes on services of general interest in Europe, in the context of economic integration. It highlights the differences observed between network utilities like telecommunications, electricity and gas, on the one hand, and drinking water or services of a social nature, on the other hand. The article analyzes why the latter have enjoyed a rather special status when it comes to applying the rules of competition, and it discusses the legal treatment given by the European Commission to the public subsidies which these services receive. Finally, certain parallels have been drawn with public utilities in Colombia since the 1990s.