Everything as a Service (XaaS): Regulating the Digital and Sustainable Transformation of the Services Economy in the EU

The Jean Monnet Char XaaS highlights the central theme of "Everything as a Service (XaaS)" and emphasizes the regulatory aspect, as well as the dual focus on digital and sustainable transformation within the services economy in the EU context. XaaS reflects the market trend where consumers are increasingly prioritizing functionality over the ownership of physical products, leading to a surge in 'product-asa-service' models. The project hence centers on three pivotal themes: servitization, digitalization, and sustainability and delves on their interconnections. Nowadays, a buyer no longer only buys products but is offered (temporary) access to them. This presents the service of the provider for the buyer and as they are so spread in the economy this is labelled as the servitization megatrend. Servitization integrates economic, technological, and ecological aspects, however, it remains underexplored in legal studies and practice. The JM Chair aims to provide a comprehensive regulatory perspective on the modern services economy in the EU, underscoring its extensive societal impact. The Chair will bolster teaching and research activities at the University of Maribor, engaging students from diverse backgrounds in discussions about the EU economy's servitization, sustainability and digitalization challenges. Law students from Slovenia and abroad (especially from the Balkans), enrolled in the European Legal Studies Master's program, alongside students from other disciplines (like business, IT, and natural sciences), will benefit from this initiative. The Jean Monnet Chair will examine the legal, economic, and environmental facets of evolving business models, especially in digitization and green transition contexts. It will focus on the regulatory aspects (EU single market, competition, consumer law, sustainability etc). Each academic year, a public event featuring guest speakers from the University of Leuven, the University of Copenhagen, and field practitioners will be organized.