During the interventions from the Greek side, SAVEGREEKWATER spoke of the efforts conducted at European level and the pressure exerted on the matter that led to the European Commission’s statement to agree to exclude water services from privatization if requested by the Greek government. In a nutshell, savegreekwater described how the necessary political “climate” was created under which a government that would be interested in protecting the public interest could act. It was also highlighted the key role that can be played by the people of  local government to stop the privatization while it was also emphasized that there is the opportunity, having ahead the municipal elections, in persuading candidates for the local government to take a stand on this issue before the elections . From the employees of EYDAP part , it became clear that the reasons of their protests aim in the protection of  water as a public good and not their  own  interests since even if the company is privatized they will lose less than citizens in their entirety. Then the employees representative  talked about the negatives that the privatization will bring, not only in further loss of public control over the resource and deterioration of facilities maintenance, paid by generations of Greeks, but also possible increases in tariffs and the extremely high risk for the quality of water that reaches our taps .

Worth noting is also the “tacit ” presence in the room, of a representative of Suez, which was recognized and was taken by a little surprise, as SAVEGREEKWATER offered him before the end of our intervention, a glass of public water and asked him to explain to the hall for what reason this has to become private. The representative did not do this, despite the fact that the floor was given for a long time to the participants in the audience that raised with their questions and interventions other aspects of the privatization course of the resource such as the issue of spas , natural sources and pans that are driven from different pathways to private exploitation.

Anne LeStrat is a politician from those who are missing from the Greek reality. Besides the flagship remunicipalization of water services in Paris, to the despair of the two largest French private water companies, who have lost hundreds of millions of euro, Ann Le Strat also acts as Chairman of the Agency Aqua Publica Europea and continues to fight for the public nature of water outside french border. We had the honor to talk to her about the problems we face in Greece with the imposed privatization of public water services during our visit to Paris last year and her interest was profound as shown now by the acceptance of the invitation to visit Greece for the matter. It is important for the local governments to understand the role they can play in impending privatization of services and the possibility that arises for them to collaborate with major European cities such as Paris and Berlin , who, having experienced the negative effects of privatization and breach of promises by private providers – behavior that led to inadequate maintenance of networks, excessive prices and poor quality of services -, remunicipalized water services to the satisfaction of citizens. If there is a positive aspect to our globalized life, this is the ability to be informed about the wrong policies before applying them . Let’s make the visit of the deputy mayor an occasion for reflection and reassessment for all municipalities of Attica and Thessaloniki but also the municipalities of the province where sooner or later the privatization directly or indirectly will also knock on their door. It is their responsibility to resist to the ” indifference ”  shown by the government on the European dimension of the issue of water and its deafeningly “silent” decision to proceed with the privatization, a decision diametrically opposed to the latest developments at EU level and European municipalities. Besides, the municipal elections are not far away. Let us remember and support mayors that already took a stand against the privatization of our water and let us hope that such standings will soon multiply for everybody’s sake.

Two important events against the privatization of water in Greece are being organized in Athens and Thessaloniki by initiative of Nicos Poulantzas Institute. More specifically:

WATER IS A COMMON GOOD: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Saturday 19 October, 7:00 p.m., VEA Hall (Akadimias 18, Athens)

Speaker

Αnne Le Strat, deputy mayor of Paris, president of Eau de Paris

Interventions by the citizens’ initiative Save Greek Water (www.savegreekwater.gr) and representatives of collectivities of employees of the water company of Athens (EYDAP)

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 In cooperation with the citizens’ movement «SOSte Το Nero» (“Save the water”, www.sostetonero.blogspot.gr)

Monday 21 October, 7:00 pm, City Hall of Thessaloniki

Speakers

Αnne Le Strat, deputy mayor of Paris, president of Eau de Paris

Osman Özgüven, mayor of Dikilí, Turkey

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The aim of these public debates is, by presenting specific international experiences (Paris and Dikili), to broaden the discussion and documentation about a progressive, socially just and ecologically aware management of water under public control, rejecting the myths put forward by the supporters of privatization. After all, nowadays there are actual, dynamically growing and accessible relative experiences around the world from which social movements can benefit.

Anne Le Strat, deputy mayor of Paris, has been an important figure of the struggle for the remunicipalization of the French capital’s water company (which had been privatized in 1985). She will present the negative results of 25 years of privatization and also Eau de Paris, the new water company that functions under municipal control, its structure and the effort to increase accountability by the participation of employees and citizens.

Osman Ozgkiouven is the mayor of Dikili, Turkey, responsible for restructuring his city’s water company and for implementing a pricing system that ensures the access of all citizens to the most important common good (among other things, ten cubic meters of water per month are offered free of charge to residents with low incomes). Socially responsible practices have also been implemented in other sectors (health care at low cost, free public transport and bread at cost price). Although the mayor has been prosecuted due to his policies, he has managed to gain widespread public support, proving that the barriers put by the system can be overcome when there is a strong political will.