Michel Barnier, commissioner of the internal market, on June 26, 2013 has declared that water sector will not be part of the directive on the award of concession contracts in the European Union. This decision is justified by the phrase « water is a commons fundamental for all European citizens », in reference to the European Citizen Initiative (ECI) « water is a human right » which having gathered more than 1.7 million signatures across all European countries has shown that European citizens do not want their water services privatized.
This withdrawal is a great success for citizens of the European Union. It demonstrates that the massive protests and refusal as expressed in Germany and Austria by the unions, elected representatives and citizens can be successful. Mr Barnier had repeatedly said that the goal of this directive was not the privatization of water services. A press communiqué from Aquafed, a group of water professionals shows that was not the case. Aquafed speaks of a « dangerous exclusion » aimed « against the interests of European citizens » using « democracy as a pretext ».
We are pleased that water sector is no longer affected by this European directive, but we also are aware that many other sectors are still included within this directive, and its primary goal is to favor the insertion of private corporations into public services i.e., a privatization that dares not speak its name.
The contradiction with the European policy is revealed squarely in the fact that although water sector is no longer in the directive, the Troika (EU, ECB, IMF) continues to pursue its brutal policy of privatization in Greece, Portugal and Spain.
Our resistance to the water policy of the EU will be pursued as long as the European Union treats water as a commodity instead of as a commons.
]]>[box] With a general and unsubstantiated cliché that “privatization is an one-way for EYATH” transmitted by the private TV channels – who are the only ones – the Greek government welcomed the news of the retreat of the European Commission and the exclusion of water services from the new concessions directive.[/box]
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After the strong stance of the German public opinion and despite of collusion of the political parties and of course in view of the elections, it seems that the Commission was forced to retreat in the end and to completely exclude water services from the Concessions Directive.
This Directive for many actors of the civil society was a way to facilitate privatization across Europe against the will of most Europeans and fortunately it was averted. Although Commissioner Barnier tried repeatedly to reassure that the Commission does not make these changes in order to proceed with privatizations his statements fell to the void thanks to the good level of awareness of European citizens on the matter. Reading the angry response (below) of AQUAFED, the International Federation of Private Water Providers , to the Commission’s memo, even the most naive understands what was the case and the stakes.
This great victory for which one can read in detail in the European Commission Memo that follows, should have already become an emblematic argument to the government’s lips for excluding Greek water services from privatization, unless of course the conception of ‘new Greece‘ , that was invented a few days ago by the governmental communication team, indeed provides for less “blue“, ie fewer rights to access to water for their citizens.
An one-way is unfortunately laid when one can confirm the lack of political will for a solution sought in a democratic way. We are still waiting for the presidential decree so the 17 municipalities of Thessaloniki can hold local referendums against the privatization of EYATH. An one-way is laid even when there is no will to protect the public interest.
Because how else can one describe this obsession, despite the changes in the European landscape, even despite the declarations of “mistakes” by the IMF, and even despite the Commission’s letter (where they declare that they are not pushing in the least for the privatization and that they act fully in accordance with the Article 345 TFEU ) in a sale of a profitable enterprise of geostrategic nature (see disputes over large dams and water scarcity in the Middle East), that is also necessary for “development“?
If the Prime Minister does not do this minimum, now, -which is the maximum for all of us, i.e. our water– while the climate in Europe, the EU institutions and legal science pave him exactly the opposite “one-way“, we are not expecting anything from his office.
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EUROPEAN COMMISSION
MEMO
Brussels, 26 June 2013
Commissioner Michel Barnier welcomes agreement on new rules for the award of concession contracts.
I congratulate the European Parliament and the Council on having reached agreement on a new Directive on the award of concession contracts. This is not only about ensuring transparency and equal treatment in the single market. It’s about providing a flexible framework for partnerships between public and private that will boost much needed investments in infrastructure and services, and ultimately contribute to better quality works and services for citizens at a better price. These new rules will greatly improve legal security for public authorities and economic operators across Europe when cooperating on infrastructure projects such as roads or ports or the provision of services to the citizens.
The draft Directive confirms the autonomy of contracting authorities across Europe to decide on the best way to provide public services. When they have recourse to concessions, the new rules will give them flexibility as to the choice of the award procedures and the choice of the most appropriate, non-discriminatory award criteria.
The new rules will also provide for a well-functioning internal market in concessions, by ensuring EU-wide transparency and competition as concession notices will be published in the Official Journal of the EU. This means not only more opportunities for contracting authorities but also for EU companies, including SMEs, and consequently increased economic growth and more jobs. The draft Directive further clarifies the cases in which contracts concluded between contracting authorities are not subject to the application of concession award rules. This brings valuable support to the development of public-public cooperation.
Finally, it was agreed, as I suggested last Friday, to exclude water from the scope of the new rules.
The negotiations in the Parliament and in the Council, accompanied by EU citizens’ voices on the issue of water in particular, have led to a very good result. I am confident that the European Parliament and the Council will confirm this very soon. I would like to warmly thank all the people who have contributed to this success and in particular, the rapporteur, Philippe Juvin, as well as the Cypriot, Danish and Irish Presidencies for their willingness to reach a first reading agreement, and for their spirit of compromise. I also wish to thank all the stakeholders for their involvement in consultations; they have helped us to come up with solutions adapted to concession contracts.
Background
In December 2011, as announced in the Single Market Act (IP/11/469), the Commission adopted its proposal on the award of concession contracts (IP/11/1580). This proposal is part of an overall programme aiming at modernising public procurement in the European Union.
Concessions are partnerships between the public sector and mostly private companies, where the latter exclusively operate, maintain and carry out the development of infrastructure (ports, airports, parking garages, toll roads) or provide services of general economic interest (energy and waste disposal for example). Concessions are the most
common form of Public Private Partnership (PPP). Unlike public contracts, which are regulated by the European public procurement Directives 2004/17/EC and 2004/18/EC and public works concessions, which are partially covered Directive 2004/18/EC, the award of service concessions is not subject to any clear and unambiguous provisions, being guided only by the general principles of transparency and equal treatment of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. This loophole gives rise to potentially serious distortions of the Single Market such as direct awards of contracts without any competition (with associated risks of national favouritism, fraud and corruption) and generates considerable inefficiencies.
Main elements of the new rules:
(1) A clearer and more precise definition of a concession (building on the Court’s case law);
(2) Coverage of award of works and services concessions both in the classic sector (all other sectors not covered by utilities) and in the utilities sector (Directives 2004/18/EC and 2004/17/EC respectively);
(3) Compulsory publication of concessions in the Official Journal of the EU, when their value is equal to or greater than €5,000,000;
(4) Pragmatic solution for dealing with changes to concessions contracts during their term notably when justified by unforeseen circumstances;
(5) Establishment of certain obligations with respect to the selection and award criteria to be applied by the contracting authorities and contracting entities when awarding concessions. These rules aim at ensuring that such criteria are published in advance, are objective and not discriminatory. In general, they are less rigid than similar provisions
currently applicable to public contracts;
(6) No specific award procedures but instead definition of certain general guaranties aimed at ensuring transparency and equal treatment with particular reference to negotiation;
(7) Application of the Remedies Directives (Directives 89/665/EEC and 92/13/EC, as amended by Directive 2007/66/EC) to all concessions above the threshold, which will guarantee judicial protection for all EU companies bidding for such projects More information on concessions is available at: MEMO/11/932
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AquaFed
THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF
PRIVATE WATER OPERATORS
PRESS RELEASE
Concessions Directive:
European Commissioner renounces transparency and equity in public water services to please German public lobbies
Brussels, 26 June 2013. Through its proposal for a directive on “concessions”, the European Commission has tried to improve transparency in the delivery of public services of general economic interest, to ensure equity for operators of these services and to improve legal security for local governments that want to enter into Public-Private Partnership contracts (PPPs). The initial draft directive proposed by Commissioner Barnier provided procedural guidance to local authorities if and when they decide to enter into a PPP with an external operator. It did not create any obligation for authorities to outsource any of their public service.
On June 21, contrary to previous statements and despite evidence that the directive has nothing to do with privatization” of water services, Commissioner Barnier announced that he was willing to exclude water services from the list of services that would have to comply with the future directive. This decision is detrimental to European citizens. Furthermore, the way it was taken is not the sign of transparency and public accountability. A dangerous exclusion. Excluding water from the scope of the directive on concessions would significantly reduce its usefulness and would go against the interests of EU citizens.
– AquaFed estimates that there are currently over 12,000 PPP contracts for water or wastewater in Europe that are designated as “concessions” in the EU legislation. This number exceeds by far the number of PPP contracts in other sectors and might be close to half the total number of “concessions” contracts across the European Union that are potentially subject to the future directive. In that context, excluding water would mean that the Directive would only reach half of its initial target.
– The exclusion of water services would not improve transparency in the activity of opaque public utilities and would not reduce inequity of treatment of operators in a sector that is very sensitive for European citizens and in which many of them are calling for increased transparency. Endusers will bear the burden of this.
We hope that the EU will be able to find a more appropriate solution. The Commission should not promote a half-useful, half-detrimental directive. Either the Directive is adopted without any exclusion or exception of any kind for the water sector, or its merits are not sufficient and it should be significantly modified for all sectors before it can be adopted.
Democracy as a pretext
The Commissioner has justified this decision by accepting to please the signatories of the current European Citizens’ Initiative on the Human Right to Water. He treats these signatories as if they were representative of all European Citizens and as if they were opposed to this directive. This is premature. Relevant services of the EC declare that they have not yet received the initiative formally and it has never been discussed within the European Parliament.
Furthermore, this Initiative has only attracted many signatories because, in reality, it has been marketed throughout Europe to support better implementation of the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. Private water operators support the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. On 22 March 2013, AquaFed even proposedi to the EU Commission and Parliament to amend the European Charter on Fundamental Rights in order that this human right is included in EU legislation. The implementation of the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation and the ways of organising the related services are completely disconnected issues, practically and legally. This has been formally recognized by both international lawii and the UN Special Rapporteur on this human
right iii. The number of ECI signatories that are willing to defend this human right, but are opposed to the Concessions Directive cannot be known. It is certainly very small in comparison with the European population, since the Initiative does not even mention the draft directive on Concessions. Furthermore, by the end of February 2013, more than 1.2 million people had signed this Initiative when, before that date, the official campaign website www.right2water.org had never mentioned the Concessions Directive. It is significant to note that close to 80% of signatories (1.3 million) are from Germany, while citizens from other parts of Europe that are the most-exposed to private management of public water services, i.e. England, Spain, France and the Czech Republic have never been very interested in this Initiative
and the number of signatories in these countries is still very small. Therefore, this Citizens Initiative is obviously fueled by German lobbies. It cannot be considered as representative of European citizens and not justify the exclusion of water from the Concessions directive. German public sector lobbies oppose increasing transparency of public water services German municipally-owned utilities that deliver services to cities outside their owners’ territory without benefiting from an “in-house” status and ever having been put into competition with anybody lobbied hard against this directive. These German utilities could have been required to justify their price to water-users in a far more transparent way than they do at present. They would also have to face the test of competition. In Germany, a lot of false arguments were raised. Several lobbies have insinuated that the European Union was willing to force German municipalities to “privatise” their water services. This has been repeatedly rebuffed by Commissioner Barnier and his colleagues. This was pure propaganda, but it was effective: many German parliamentarians have lobbied against this directive being used in the water sector and Commissioner Barnier has yielded to them. The fear of German public utilities of having to run their business in a more transparent way was however stronger than the Commission’s willingness to secure legal certainty for local authorities when outsourcing their water activities and stronger than the international obligations of European States to ensure, “regardless of the form of provision, transparency, non-discrimination and accountability” in water supply services as requested by the human right.
Aquafed will therefore ask the Commission under Regulation (EC) 1049/2001 for access to the communications it has had with German and other lobbies concerning the special treatment they lobbied for with regards to water activities
AquaFed is the International Federation of Private Water Operators. Open to companies and associations of
companies of all sizes and from all countries, it aims to contribute to solving water challenges by making Private
Sector know-how and experience available to the international community. It brings together more than 300 water
companies that serve hundreds of millions of people in 40 countries.
In Europe, AquaFed is present through its members in the majority of EU Member States, mostly by means of
PPP (Public-Private Partnerships, including concession-type) contracts and through contracts with industrial
water-users. The third of the European population benefits from water or wastewater services that are at least
partially operated by private or public-private companies. The majority of these people is served by companies
represented by our Federation.
# # #
Media contacts: Mr. Thomas Van Waeyenberge: +32 4 79 23 78 26 / [email protected]
www.aquafed.org
i www.aquafed.org/pages/fr/admin/UserFiles/pdf/2013-03-22_AquaFed_EuropeanCharter_PressRelease_EN.pdf
ii The UN Human Rights Council in its same historic resolution that embedded the right to safe drinking water and
sanitation in international law. Its Article 7 of this resolution says: “Recognizes that States, in accordance with
their laws, regulations and public policies, may opt to involve non-State actors in the provision of safe drinking
water and sanitation services and, regardless of the form of provision, should ensure transparency, nondiscrimination
and accountability;”
iii The UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation wrote a specific report on
the matter and confirmed the disconnect in her letter dated 10 Oct 2012 to Ms. Anne Marie Perret, Representative
of the Citizens’ Committee European Citizens Campaign – ECI where she wrote:
“In seeking to ensure universal service provision, human rights are neutral about the type of service delivery that
is decided upon in a particular country – whether it is direct provision by the State, whether services are operated
by a private company after a formal delegation, or whether the provision of services is informal. However, the
provision through private actors does under no circumstances exempt the State from its human rights obligations
to progressively realize the rights to water and sanitation.”
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]]>The tender for the selling of Thessaloniki water company, EYATH, which takes place under media silence by (private) TV stations enters now in its second phase, after the TAIPED excluded “Citizens for Water“(the effort of cooperative management by Thessalonians together with the union workers). Mr. Stavridis, former president of the EYDAP (Athens Water Company) and now head of TAIPED (or HDRAF, the fund where all public assets were transferred in order to be sold), who is among the most eager supporters of free economy, especially when it is implemented by creating private monopolies under the supervision of “regulators”, in a monumental, for the lack of any legal or other documentation or explanation, letter ‘informs’ in an acquiescent tone that the Union’s proposal does not “pass” to the next phase. In the next phase, however, passes the French multinational Suez along with the even more willing Mr. Bobolas and even the public (!) Israeli company Mekorot’s joint venture with Mr. Apostolopoulos. The Union has already filed a complaint, as it was expected, and now we wait.
We wait furthermore for the implementation of the decisions of 17 municipalities from the region of Thessaloniki to hold local referendums and the signing of the relevant notorious presidential decree which enables this procedure, a decree which is characteristically “slow” in its legislative adventure, from Callicrates until today – how many years is it? – While overnight the institutional “father” of the Greek people signed with a stroke of a pen the abolition of ERT. Following the announced privatization of water, a few days ago, ” black” fell on all television, radio, internet and satellite programs of the public broadcaster.
It is a sad development in our effort to inform our fellow citizens over the dangers of privatization, since we were expecting the projection of a relevant documentary of the series “EXANDAS” by Y. Avgeropoulos, in the preparation of which we participated. This development is dangerous for another delicate reason, which falls in the category of our engagement with the wider concept of the commons. The archive of ERT, the ark of our modern cultural history, it is inconceivable for us to become an object of vulgar trade and such an act would signify the ultimate enclosure, beyond that of our natural collective goods such as water, of our collective intellect and our cultural heritage.
In both cases what we see is a palinode. The government blames the Troika and the European Commission and the Commission washes its hands regarding these decisions. I want to denounce the current government and especially their assistant political parties, who are opposed, as they claim, at the sale of EYATH (and the abolition of ERT) that they are moving on their own responsibility and to a future time hopefully liability in this sale, since there is an official letter from the European Commission that says they are not pushing our country in this direction. Why the Commission wrote this letter? They know that the pressure to privatize water services is unlawful, since they are bound by the TFEU to be neutral on issues of management of water services (Article 345 TFEU). So if the government is pressed, they have to admit it in public, to come forward and say that the European Commission is lying and we can all support them and go to the European courts. If the government is not pressed and simply lacks rationality and an understanding of the concept of public interest, there is another reason why they shouldn’t want the sale of water services. In the case of Athens even if sold at 350 million, ie the market value of our shares, the public sector’s shares, to the water company, tomorrow instead of collecting, the government should instead pay, since the company has receivables from the State, local authorities, etc., which mount up to 1.2 billion! (See Annual Financial Report 2012). As for the European Commission, they have no legitimacy to move forward with the privatization in the countries of the South, when we already have in our hands the first historically successful European Citizens’ Initiative right2water. Instead of playing hide and seek, they would do well to open directly processes to institutionalize the human right to access to clean water and hygiene, which was adopted in 2010 by the UN, as the proposed legislative initiative by the citizens suggest and abandon their desires for establishing a water market in Europe, desires rooting in the Steering group of Mr Barnier, a body composed of high ranking executives of the sector’s multinationals. The institutional role of Mr Barnier, although he fails to grasp it, is the European public interest and speculation on the basic needs of European citizens do not reflect it in the least.
Whether it is about our physical commons such as water, or our collective cultural heritage, one thing is certain. Each enclosure is directly or indirectly against the fundamental human right to life. Commons are not owned by any temporary elected representative.
Regardless of whether one agrees or not with the above, there is one point on which everyone would meet me upon: It is the responsibility of the Politeia (State) (Greek and European) to give an institutional way-out at the society’s will . If it cannot perform it, we have an ontological crisis as a political society, far more destructive than the much discussed economical.
Sign for your water in Greece and Europe.
Some figures: EYATH is a company with a monopoly on the supply of water in Thessaloniki area. It has profitability in 2012 of 24 million euros, available cash 33 million euros, equity of 135 million euros and annual income 74 million. The value of the stock is 220 million euros and the 75% that is held by TAIPED if sold in the market value which is 165 million euros, the investor will get his money back in six years and will obtain ownership of a company with monopoly rights. It is an investment that with current water prices has an 18% annual return on capital employed (33/135) and if the tarrifs are increased the return yields off.
Why “no” to privatization: What are the implications in our lives from the privatization of water services; What does international experience show? • sudden price increases of 250% – 300% with the partial privatization of EYATH. Prices x12 times in Bucharest over 13 years. Pacos de Ferreira Portugal 400% increase and 6% increase each year.• Degradation of water quality and uneven access to water services. In Walkerton (Ontario) Canada seven people lost their lives drinking water with bacteria E coli. Extensive infections with Suez in Johannesburg (South Africa). • Incomplete network maintenance & breaches of contractual terms for investments. In France, funding water services are still made by the public sector at 88%. In Argentina, the government terminated the contract with Suez for breach of its contractual obligations (maintenance and expansion of the network). • Monopolistic practices and cartels. The EU conducted research at SUEZ, VEOLIA and SAUR, for trusts in France (2012). In England companies right from the stage of the competition do not compete with each other and take to competitions without rival. • Lack of accountability and secret agreements. Most contracts remain secret eluding anyone control. In Berlin, the VEOLIA and RWE, in 1999, had demanded a written guarantee large profit was kept secret until the public in 2011 by referendum demanded to publicize the terms of the contract. Wherevere applied, water privatization has failed.
The international trend is the recovery of water services by public bodies (France, Canada, Argentina, Hungary). The Italians prevented water privatization with a referendum (2011). In the Netherlands water services is by law public (2004). In Germany, except in the case of Berlin, where developments of remunicipalization are underway, water management is done by public bodies.
*Ms Kanellopoulou is a founding member of the Initiative for the non privatization of water in Greece savegreekwater.org
]]>[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 22nd 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] Success for the ECI (European Citizens Initiative) on affordable and non-privatized access to clean water. This legislative initiative, an institution which was adopted at the Treaty of Lisbon, is the first successful attempt to collect among the European citizens 1,000,000 official signatures, (with passport number or ID), so as to call on the European Commission to initiate a legislative process. (Before of the implementation of ECI, only the commission had the right to initiate legislation at the European Parliament.) [/box]
[box]Perhaps now, that the Europeans have spoken up and declared, despite the technical and legal setbacks, that they do not want the water market creation and commercialization of their precious resource, the unelected Commissioners Barnier and Oli Rehn will begin to listen also to civil society apart from their friends of the Steering Group, consisting of executives of water corporations. Unless they regard themselves, emperors.[/box]
[box type=”warning”] Although the 1,000,000 signatures were collected, apparently they are supposed to consist of a minimum of signatures from 7 different countries… Greece has yet to catch this minimum which in our case is 16,500. Many have contacted us because they were not able to sign electronically. We alerted the organizers of the European Citizens Initiative about this so as to urge the EU In order to solve the technical problems since the software used for the process is theirs… As if it were not enough that civil society is required to run such an expensive and intricate in legal proceedings, procedure, they make whatever humanly possible to complicate it further.. Another reason for us to skyrocket signatures from Greece.[/box]
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EPSU Press communication
11 February 2013
“One million signatures for Water as a Human Right !”
(Brussels, 11 February)
Yesterday, the first up and running European Citizens Initiative (ECI) ‘Water is a Human Right’ made history as also being the first ECI in the history of the European Union to have collected over 1 million signatures.
Anne-Marie Perret, President of the Citizens Committee says “Reaching this important milestone, with one Million EU citizens agreeing that water and sanitation are human rights, is a great success. We appreciate the support of so many and will continue campaigning to pass a strong message to the European Commission. We have also managed to overcome the start up problems, as well as the legal and technical barriers forced upon us by the European Commission and Member States.”
The ECI “Water is a Human Right” has been a success not just because more than 1 million people have signed but in terms of creating a real European debate. 2013 is the European Year of citizenship and we have manage to get more than 1.5 million visits to our website the month of January only. It has contributed to creating a space for a European debate in which many citizens are engaging.
The ECI will continue to collect signatures to ensure that the voices of as many people in as many different countries as possible are heard. On March 22rd we will celebrate World Water Day with well over a million voices against liberalization of water, and for the implementation of the human right to water and sanitation in the EU.
For more information: Pablo Sanchez, [email protected] 0032 (0) 474 62 66 33
EPSU is the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It is the largest federation of the ETUC and comprises 8 million public service workers from over 275 trade unions; EPSU organizes workers in the energy, water and waste sectors, health and social services and local and national administration, in all European countries including in the EU’s Eastern Neighborhood. EPSU is the recognized regional organization of Public Services International (PSI).
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[box type=”info”] The legal basis of the citizens’ initiative is set out in Article 11, Paragraph 4 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and Article 24, paragraph 1 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Both articles were newly introduced with the Treaty of Lisbon.[/box]
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