Great  news from Barcelona! For the first time, a large majority of the Barcelona City Council supports ending the private management of water in the city. Barcelona En Comú believes that water is a human right, a basic service and a common good that should be under public, democratic control. Barcelona En Comú’s motion to remunicipalize the city’s water service has been supported by an absolute majority of the City Council

On Friday, November 25th, Barcelona En Comu presented a motion to take back direct public management of the water cycle, one of the main promises of our manifesto. This proposal was also one of the most popular among citizens in the participatory process carried out to define the Municipal Action Plan (the plan that guides city policy).

All the leftist groups of the Barcelona City Council voted in favor of the motion, meaning that the government can move forward with its plan to remunicipalize the water service in the metropolitan area. The water service is currently in the hands of the mixed society that controls distribution in the 23 municipalities of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB), of which Agbar is the majority shareholder. The council also approved a similar motion by the CUP Barcelona.

Eloi Badia, Councilor for Presidency, Water and Energy, said that “today an absolute majority has voted more transparency, higher service quality, and lower tariffs. Today is a historic moment because a majority of the council has said that things must change.”

Savings for the city and savings for citizens

According to data from the Court of Auditors, public management is 18% cheaper and results in losses that are 23% lower and investments that are 18% higher. A comparison of water tariffs in Catalan municipalities indicates that private management is 25% more expensive than public management.

These savings would obviously mean a reduction in tariffs. Badia has said that water bills could be reduced by at least 10%, 38.7 million euros in total. 29M € could be saved from industry profits and 9.7M € from the knowledge levy. “The best social rate is one that does not include unnecessary expenses. We must respond to neighbors who can not face bills that have risen 85% in the last 10 years,” he added.

This process is based on precedents in large cities such as Paris, Berlin and Naples that have demonstrated the advantages of having a service under 100% public management, as well as in Catalan towns such as Arenys de Munt and Montornès del Vallès.

This is the beginning of a path that can be long and complex. Barcelona En Comú will continue to work for public services and the common good of all citizens.

The City Council of Tyrnavos, in its 13th meeting (04-10-2016) with its decision, no. 239/2016

DECIDES IN MAJORITY:

The City Council of Tyrnavos is against the commercialization of water and sanitation  services because this is not for the benefit of the public interest.

The council claims that:

-The water is a common that cannot be commercialized.

-The access to the drinking water and the quality of services of water supply and seweage are indisputable rights for all citizens, strongly linked to the right for life, hygiene and human dignity.

–EYDAP must remain a public organization to service the society and it must not be transformed to a means for the profit of private interests.

-Whenever there was an attempt to sell public services of water supplies to private interests ,there was a failure due to dramatic increases of prices and dramatic decrease of water quality and consequently, the return of the water services management to either the municipality or the state became unavoidable.

-Within the framework of the upcoming constitutional revision, the social control and the public sector management of the water should be legally ensured.

Unanimously, the Board of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) adopted and upheld the decision of Region of Central Macedonia against the privatization of EYATH.

Also, unanimously, the Board adopted the results of the referendum held in the municipalities of the region and stresses that water is a public social good and therefore asks that the responsibility of management is passed on to the municipalities.

source

Last week, the regional government of Lazio (the Italian region which includes Rome, for a total of 5.7 million inhabitants) has approved a regional law that:

•    declares water as a common good and recognizes the human right to water;
•    declares that water is a service of public interest, thus not subject to compulsory competitive tendering;
•    provides for water to be managed on a not-for-profit basis;
•    provides for communes to introduce public participation in decision making on water management;
•    provides for the establishment of a regional fund to help communes remunicipalise their water services;
•    provides for the establishment of a regional fund to support not-for-profit partnerships on a solidarity-basis (including public-public partnerships) to extend access to water in developing countries.

The regional law has been approved as a result of sustained social mobilization (indeed, this is a case of popular legislation i.e. the initial text was promoted by a popular petition signed by 37,000 citizens and 40 communes; the final text is expected to be approved by the regional government of Lazio sometimes next week, but the principles above should remain)

[box] A voting was adopted by the City Council of Ierapetra  against water privatization. It is the first Cretan Municipality to move in this direction and we hope that others will follow soon.[/box]

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RESOLUTION

 The Ierapetra (Crete, Greece) City Council convened on 28^th May 2013 and unanimously accepted a proposition of Mayor Sefes Anastasakes concerning the privatization of water services in Greece. According to  Municipal Resolution 130/2013:

The (Ierapetra) Municipal Council herewith declares its objection to the privatization of any institution(s) dealing with water services. The Municipal Council is willing to use any and all means so that water remains a public good used for the welfare of the people.

Water is a public good and not a commodity! We ask that the EU Commission proposes a legislation that will safeguard the people’s right to access to water not only as a means for life itself but for hygiene and irrigation purposes too. The EU must press governments to provide all citizens with clear, drinkable water as well as keep hygiene services to a high standard and also provide adequate amounts of water for irrigation purposes. We suggest:

• That the EU as well as the member state comply to their obligation to provide water, hygiene and irrigation services to all citizens.

•  That water services and management of water resources remain always under public control beyond the “free” market rules and to prohibit  water market liberalization.

• That the EU strive harder so that all EU inhabitants have access to water services, hygiene services and irrigation water where appropriate.

 For the Ierapetra City Council

 Chairman                         Secretary                      Members

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[box] 16 May 2013: The Ilion Municipality Council, having hold a meeting on the privatization of EYDAP, unanimously declared that: “This Council stands against the privatization of any company or institution dealing in public goods. As EYDAP deals with water, which is the number one public good and a natural resource, we can only oppose its privatization and we hereby declare our will to use any and all legal means in order for water to remain a public good used for public welfare. Our decision applies also to the recycled Psytalleia water, which, after being biologically processed, can easily be used for irrigation purposes in Attica both within and outside the city limits.”[/box]

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22 May 2013

A resolution concerning the privatization of EYDAP

In a meeting held on Thursday 16 may 2013, the Ilion Municipality Council (Attica, Greece) unanimously came to the following resolution:

“The Ilion Municipality Council stands against the privatization of any company or institution dealing in public goods. As EYDAP deals with water, which is the number one public good and a natural resource, we can only oppose its privatization and we hereby declare our will to use any and all legal means in order for water to remain a public good used for public welfare. Our decision applies also to the recycled Psytalleia water, which, after being biologically processed, can easily be used for irrigation purposes in Attica both within and outside the city limits. Water is a natural source of life, is absolutely necessary to all human beings and can be used as a means for the development of a country. We cannot ever allow it to become a trade commodity used for private profit. It shall remain a natural resource available to all citizens; vulnerable social groups shall have access to it in special low prices. As already has been internationally proved, the privatization of water resources led to higher prices, bad maintenance of the necessary infrastructures, the lowering of its quality, neglect for environmental protection, a rise in losses during transfer and the depletion of the water sources. The tendency therefore, all over Europe, is for water companies to return to public/municipal management. The Ilion Municipal Council, considering that water management must be run by public authorities, demands that EYDAP be exempted from privatization. In order to protect the water resources and the environment in our country we are prepared to cooperate with other municipal councils to this purpose.”

This resolution shall be sent to YPEKA (Special Water Resources Bureau) and made public through the Internet and the local press

Dimitrios Koukouvinos

Chairman

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[box] A Referendum against the privatization was unanimously decided  by the municipality of Thessaloniki at the same day of the deadline  for expressions of interest for the sale of EVATH.Thessalonians answered in the most democratic way to authoritarian decisions of the European economic elite and their willing collaborators of greek interests , that plunder  the corpse of the devasteted Greek society and have now decided to get their hands on the monopoly of water, one with certain profits and abundant state subsidies.[/box]

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Republication from Egnatia Translation SAVEGREEKWATER

The Thessaloniki Municipal Council unanimously accepted a proposition put forth by its chairman Panagiotis Avramopoulos, namely that the issue of EYATh being sold to private institutions be referred to a public plebiscite. Mr. Avramopoulos said he is absolutely certain that the vast majority of Thessaloniki citizens will decide against the privatization and thus the government in Athens will have to face the consequences of its decision.

The meeting opened with a speech by Socrates Famellos (Major of Therme and representative of the local citizen initiative SOS-for-water) whose proposition was for a citizen controlled institution, supported by the local municipalities, to take over local water management. He also insisted on supporting the campaign of the European Citizens’ Initiative for bringing the issue of water management to the EU Parliament.

“Water is a common good and shall belong to all of us. Its management shall be under municipal and citizen control as privatization has up to now only led to price increase, loss of work positions, decrease in the quality of services offered and environmental endangerment”, said Mayor Famellos.

Thessalonike Mayor, Giannis Boutares, once more asked that the local (state owned) water company be turned over to municipal control.

He also said that the state monopoly shall in no way become a municipal monopoly: the area municipalities (all those watered from Aliakmon and/or Aravissos) shall instead create a metropolitan institution dealing with water and hygiene and all investments related to these, while issues such as biological purification shall also be given a high priority. He finally reminded the council that in Europe the tension is towards returning water companies to public control.

George Archontopoulos, chairman of the EYATh personnel Union, supported the proposition for a citizen referendum, as did all leaders of the parties represented in the Municipality Council.

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[box] “I call everyone to sign the European Citizens Initiative for water as a public good and not a commodity.” declares P. Skotiniotes, Mayor of Volos, Greece, in a press release issued on 22 March 2013, with the occasion of the World Water Day. On his decision the local municipal Water and Sanitation Company (DEYAMV) will take part in the (probably) largest demonstration movement in the history of the EU; namely the one against the EU Committee practices that help the privatization of water and sanitation services throughout Europe. We in Savegreekwater, who have taken part in an informative event against water privatization, organized earlier this year by Volos and Pelion citizens, can only wish that we played a humble role in this decision. We sincerely hope that actions such as this of the Mayor Skotiniotes will only be the first in a row of similar actions by his colleagues, several of which, like Pallini, Galatsi and Marathon have already expressed their position against privatization by adopting relevant resolutions. Savegreekwater sincerely hopes that Mayor Skotiniotes will continue supporting the actions against Water and sanitation Services privatization in Greece by promoting this campaign to other Mayors all over Greece adn by also adopting a resolution agaisnt water privatization. [/box]

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MUNICIPALITY OF VOLOS

PRESS RELEASE

Volos 21 march 2013

DEYAMV will take part in the European Citizens’ Initiative

Against the privatization of Water and Sanitation Services

P. Skotiniotes: Let us all sign declaring that water is not a trading commodity but a public good

Panos Skotiniotes, Mayor, Municipality of Volos, and Chairman of the BoD of DEYAMV (Volos Municipal Water and sanitation Company), on the occasion of the World Water Day, issued a declaration that DEYAMV will join the European Citizens Initiative and goes as follows:

Following a UN decision, March 22^nd has been declared the World Water Day. We all understand that correct management of this public resource, which also constitutes a source of life itself, must be our common goal, especially during this period of economic turmoil and climate change.

As far as DEYAMV is concerned, we have already pointed out that, water is a public good and as such cannot but be under public management. For us in the Municipality of Volos, DEYAMV continuing to operate as a municipal company aiming to the public welfare is a nonnegotiable fact.

However, to counter any and all attempts for transferring water and sanitation services to private institutions which, if successful, will constitute a danger not only to our well being but to our lives too, we must join forces with all other persons, groups and institutions having the same target.

DEYAMV will join the European Citizen’s Initiative, thus taking part in the largest up to now demonstrational movement against the EU Committee practices that favor the privatization of water and sanitation services in Europe. The ECI is on a race to force those responsible for decision taking in the higher levels of the EU nomenclature to declare that the Public Right to Water and Sanitation cannot be denied and that Water be declared a public good that has to be safeguarded against market practices.

According to EU procedures, ECI has to collect at least 1.000.000 signatures with a minimum quota from at least seven EU nations. Up to now more than 850.000 Germans and at least another 300.000 from other EU nations have signed in; the quota has already been reached in Germany, Austria and Belgium, but Greece and Cyprus still lag far behind. As soon as the required number is reached the EU Committee will have to reevaluate its stance.

Let us point out that there already exists an international tendency for returning water and sanitation services, formerly run by private institutions, to the public, because privatization always led to higher prices and a lowering of services quality. Therefore our position is and will always be that institutions managing water resources as well as water and sanitation companies shall remain public in order to safeguard both, the human right to water and sanitation as well as water resources and the environment against speculation.

We feel confident that the citizens of Volos will join in and stand beside us. We ask all of them to visit https://www.right2water.eu/el and sign the petition. Thus a strong front will be created that will be willing and ready to act against the transferring of water and sanitation services to private companies, that in no way can guarantee the safeguarding either of public health or of the environment. The DEYAMV Board will examine and propose more actions to this same target.

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[box] We were informed by the press office of Volos municipality that DEYAMV has already proceeded to the edition of a form inviting citizens to express their support for the European Citizens Initiative. This form has started being sent to consumers together with their water bills, and there is a special link to the portal of Volos dimosvolos.gr referring to the collection of signatures[/box]

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[box] Against the tender for the privatization of EYATH are the municipalities of Thessaloniki, who seem decided to take over the management of water, requiring that TAIPED transfers its 51% stakes in the company to their control.[/box]

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Article by Fani Sovitsli republication from Makedonia newspaper

translation SAVEGREEKWATER team

Furthermore, if their proposal is not accepted by the Greek public, they intend to participate in the contest in collaboration with the “Movement 136″, ensuring the necessary funding through loans.

The overall proposal that the municipalities undertake the management of EYATH was discussed at yesterday’s meeting of the Regional Association of Municipalities (PAE) of Central Macedonia, where the mayors appeared firmly opposed to the bidding process for the privatization of the company. They pointed out that water is an important development resource and can not be sold off to individuals. In this context the elected officials unanimously agreed with the proposal made by the President of PAE Simos Daniilidis the municipalities undertake water management through the creation of an inter-municipal water supply and sewerage company or an joint stock company whose shareholders will be the municipalities. PAE will seek legislation that will allow for the creation of this inter-municipal shape, as is the case in many European cities so that the management and assets of EYATH are transferred to it. According to Mr. Daniilidis, who filed the same proposal and the meeting of the company’s employees, the 14 municipalities of Thessaloniki will ask the Greek public, specifically TAIPED, to transfer its 51% percentage of the stocks of EYATH to them, while at the same time they plan to expand ΕΥΑΤΗ network across the prefecture. In case the proposal is not accepted, the elected  officials are considering to engage with the ‘ Citizens’ Movement 136‘ in the tender for the sale of EYATH, the period of which expires on 29 April. “The municipalities may benefit from their borrowing capacity to ensure the sum needed for their participation in the tender“, said the president of PAE.

THE MUNICIPALITIES TO TAKE THE WATER
In favor of a pragmatic proposal of the local government to manage the water  is also the vice president of PAE of Central Macedonia Theodoros Papadopoulos, stating that he does not understand the reasons why the state wants to sell a natural resource, which anyway is profitable. “I am not of those who are excommunicating privatization, but in this case we are talking about a natural resource valuable to development, that the local government can manage  by submitting a reliable and realistic proposal,” said Papadopoulos. He added that he is willing to discuss the proposal  of the “Citizens ‘Movement 136‘ who  call for a cooperative water management, with the participation of municipalities, but the mayors must, he said, at any rate, go ahead on this matter andsubmit a credible proposal to take water in their hands, preventing the private interests from taking over .
A position against to the tender for the privatization of EYATH  also took  the PAE Board members Kyrizoglou Lazaros and Diamantis Papadopoulos, underlining that the municipalities of Thessaloniki must resist the sellout of the company which is promoted with fast track procedures.

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[box] Diamantes Papadopoulos, Mayor of Pavlos Melas, a town which since 2011 has already adopted a resolution against the privatization of EYATh, issued the following statement, warning against the dangers of the governmental actions and putting forth the proposition that EYATh shall be given to the municipalities it serves.[/box]

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Diamantes Papadopoulos: “EYATh should be transfered to municipal control”.

As the procedure for the privatization of EYATh reaches its final stage, Diamantes Papadopoulos, mayor of Pavlos Melas, made the following statement “Water is a common good and thus it is not for sale. It is not a trade commodity nor shall it be used for financial profit, instead everyone shall have free access to it, as it is a necessary constituent of life itself. Citizens and municipal councils shall act in concern to protect this common good. The latter, especially, shall be first in line and help create cooperatives that will try to obtain claim the ownership of water companies. The crime of water services privatization shall stop now. In no way shall we accede to EYATh becoming a private company.”

The Municipal Council of Pavlos Melas has already, in 2011, issued a voting against the privatization of water companies.

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[box] In the open popular assembly against the privatization of EYATH organized on the 28 of March by the EYATH Employees Union  Thermi Municipality was represented by the Mayor Theodoros Papadopoulos and Deputy Mayor of Planning, Development & Communication Socrates Famellos. They renewed their support in every effort against EYATH privatization and reported that the Municipality of Thermi had adopted a relevant resolution since 2011[/box]

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Resolution of the Therme Municipality Council nr. 288/2011

Don’t give EYATh away – Support the EYATh Workers Union

 At the same time when the Water and Hygiene services in big European cities, such as Paris and Berlin, are returned to municipal control, the Greek Government proceeds with selling EYATh to private companies, despite what the Prime Minister promised in his speech (2009 Thessaloniki International Exhibition) namely that “water resources are not to be privatized”. EYATh is a public company dealing in water for the common good, has profits and is not burdened with any loan payments.

The international tendency towards returning water services to the public sector is based on the following principles and facts:

Water is a common social good, necessary for life itself, and thus cannot become a trading commodity used for the profit of private interests. Everyone shall have access to it especially the lower and suffering parts of human society.

Private control of water led to:

• Minimal investment and the neglect of maintenance on water networks
• Increases on the water price
• A lowering on the quality of services mainly due to huge decreases in personnel
• Depletion of the water reserves through overconsumption

We need to prepare for the climate change whose presence is already known and the shortage of water this will lead to. Therefore water consumption shall be controlled by the public authorities, otherwise it will easily become just another factor leading to the increase of profits of those that control it irrespective of any consequences.

We consider it absolutely unacceptable that the water networks, constructed by the Greek State with public funds, are to be sold to private speculators especially at such a low price. This decision for the alienation of an important factor of public wealth inevitably leads to the loss of the know-how acquired by EYATh during its long years of public service that can and shall be used for the public good.

We insist that EYATh be kept a public company and that it shall be turned over to the control of the local municipalities – representatives of its actual investors and shareholders, the citizens of the Thessaloniki area.

The government’s decision entails catastrophic consequences in that it alienates one of the most important local industries against the real needs of the country for investment and development.

Therefore we stand in allegiance to the EYATh personnel and ask for a plebiscite to decide for or against the privatization of water and sewage services.

Referendum NOW that water is a common good!

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[box] The Marathon City Council adopted a resolution against the privatization of EYDAP on its meeting on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 almost unanimously. Hopefully this will be a first move of the Municipality in order not to sign the concession contract network that would put ahead of privatization an even larger customer base for the coming multinational companies. Keep in mind that the City of Marathon is one of the municipalities of Attica which has large debts to EYDAP and the company has proposed concession of the network as part of a debt settlement agreement.[/box]

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RESOLUTION

Marathon City Council

AGAINST PRIVATIZATION OF EYDAP

Water should be public because it is an essential life element.

The clean & reachable water is a human right and the wide issue of water management for private and agricultural use should remain a public good.

The privatization of water is primarily a matter of democracy.

International experience has shown that privatization of water results in the huge increase in prices as well as huge drop of quality. Water management privatization wherever took place led to:

Huge increases in the price (Portugal Morocco 400% 300% 100% Argentina 67% UK)

Non potable drinking water, malfunctioning networks (water contaminated in Sydney, Ontario, Buenos Aires, S. Africa).

Across Europe grows a large movement aiming the municipal or state water management in the 21st century

In France, Remunicipalisation advances in all major contracts for municipal water.

In Italy, in the 2011 referendum, 95% voted against the privatization of water.

In Germany the entire water sector belongs to public authorities.

In Greece, we are going backwards.

The EYDAP is not deficient & it secures water adequacy and excellent quality.

We oppose to the sale of EYDAP . We believe that such a step is at the expense of the public interest, and we reserve the right of a private company and any legal entity to exclusively or partially own rights of water resources use which are natural resources indispensable to the survival of people, plants and animals, goods protected by European legislation (Framework Directive 2000/60) and the UN who on July 28, 2010 adopted a resolution to add access to clean water in the Declaration of Human Rights (AG/10967) .

We demand water to remain a public & social good, safe and cheap for everyone and EYDAP to continue to be a public company.

Although the trend in Europe is to recover water companies from various municipalities, once again the Greek state with twenty years of delay gets “back to the future”.

What we will be the fate of water on costly, remote or sparsely populated areas under private initiative?

What kind of ecological burden can lead to further loss of social control in the amount of water pumped and sold?

What is ultimately on sale and at what is the loss of entire society considering the high cost already paid for with taxpayers’ expense concerning infrastructure?

We demand to withdraw EYDAP and any other water company from the menu of privatization and to protect natural water sources throughout the country.

Marathon March 19, 2013

The resolution adopted at the meeting Tuesday, March 19, 2013 following a proposal submitted by Fotis Delivorias almost unanimously (with a single white vote from L. Stephanides ).

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