The research commissioned bythe Scottish Executive on ferry services in other European Union countries (seeResearch and Advice on Risk Management in Relation to the Subsidy of FerryServices – Deliverable 1: Factual Summary of EU Member States, published bythe Scottish Executive in 2005 – Bib. number 37557) suggested that there were threeother countries within the European Union, namely, Finland, Malta and Sweden, wherevessels delivering internal ferry services are owned by national or local governmentor publicly owned companies.