[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] After Pallini Municipality , Galatsi Municipality adopted a resolution against the privatization of EYDAP so that “water remain a public and social good.” The resolution submitted by the Coordinating Committee for Citizens & Associations of Galatsi to the Municipal Council meeting on March 6, 2013.[/box]

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The resolution submitted and adopted by the City Council is the following:

RESOLUTION

WE DEMAND
From the city administration and all the Councillors of the Municipal Board to vote the following text, which explains why public water management agencies in Greeceshould not be privatized .
WE DEMAND
From the city administration and all the Councillors of the Municipal Board to support by every means our request to keep water a social safe and affordable good for everyone and EYDAP to remain public company.
WE DEMAND
From the city administration and all the Councillors of the Municipal Board to promote our request to their political partiesas well as the city administration to promote and support the ratification of the resolution to KEDE (Central Municipalities Association).

Justification
To keep the water a social good and its management in public and social organization.
In Greece, Water & Sewer services are provided by public or municipal bodies. In Attica, the Water Supply & Sewerage Company (EYDAP ) has the exclusive jurisdiction on water supply, drainage, sewerage and owns networks and premises. Respectively inThessaloniki the jurisdiction lies on the Thessaloniki Water Supply and Sewerage Company of Thessaloniki (EYATH ) and the rest of Greece by the local Municipal Enterprises for Water Supply and Sewerage (DEYA).

There is no reason to privatize EYDAP as a public, social and financially profitable company because:
1) For decades, even in times of great scarcity the country faced its customers have had water on tap sufficiently and in excellent quality.

2) EYDAP company is not deficient. Indeed, on 2010 , a year of recession in the national economy, it increased profitability by 158% without price increases achieving profits for the state both in taxation & dividends. Moreover, according to the official statistical summary of Greek Stock Exchange for 9 months in 2011 showed profit of 75%!

3) EYDAP does not burden the state budget and is not funded by the state.

Privatization of water resources has benefits only for companies that run them.

Moreover, it is well known that the primary objective of any private company is to maximize profits. It’s not the role of a private company to do social policy and certainly does not act always in accordance with the broader social interest.

It is clear that the reduction of labor costs, such as the abolition of labor regulations create an ‘attractive’ working environment for potential investors.

The privatization of EYDAP

Within the global context set under Troika, the privatization of EYDAP is now imminent. According to the mid-term program, the privatization of EYDAP is accomplished in 2013 through the sale of 61% of the shares of the Company which has already been transferred to the Fund for the Development of Public Property. (TAIPED). However, in Memorandum II, in the chapter of Structural Fiscal Reforms (Asset Management and Privatization) it is explicitly stated that “the control of government should be limited only to cases of critical network infrastructure.”

It is clear that if the Greek government privatizes EYDAP will definitely lose it, since it concerns monopoly selling and not concession for a specified period . This means in essence the definitive end of the public and social character of EYDAP.

A private enterprise “management” will not invest in new infrastructure or replacements of obsolete networks and installations, because it will not be the owner of these assets and will bring costs to the company. Furthermore, the maintenance of existing projects will be flawed at minimum cost. The result of this management will be the collapse of infrastructure, and then the Greek government – which would have already lost any kind of income – will assume the expenses of the consolidation of ownership of its facilities (see the case of Great Britain).

In addition , the supply of drinking water is not ensured for the same reason of cost reduction. Now, EYDAP provides consumers with high quality cheap drinking water pricing just 0,50 € per cubic meter (1000 liters). The price difference between bottled water and EYDAP is obvious:

Moreover, private companies in order to increase their profits and reduce their tax costs, outsource large supplies of materials and structures into their subsidiaries, as they are not subject to government regulations concerning supplies& works, whatever this implies for Greek companies.

Privatization of water supply and sanitation leads to increased prices for consumers, without any guarantee for improvement of services.

In conclusion, EYDAP running under public management has maximized goals of quality, efficiency & low price social water, while in contrast the private companies usually maximize their profits at the expense of quality.

Hopefully this information to all stakeholders, consumers and media, will create a dynamic flow resistance in the upcoming sellout of this precious natural resource, through the privatization of EYDAP.

So that the citizen of Athens enjoys the best life good , water, -in excellent quality in competence and at low price.

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[box] After Ilioupoli, it was Peristeri that followed. And then, at Pallini, the first courageous decision was taken, a decision that paves the road for others to follow. The Board of Councils adopted the resolution of the residents of Pallini that expressed their will to protect water as a common, to safeguard that it stays safe and inexpensive for all, and that the managing body, EYDAP remains a public and social company. [/box]

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The event invitation in Greek.

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[box] A historical decision was taken by the Municipal Board of Pallini, AGAINST the sell-off of water and sanitation infrastructure and FOR water as a common good. [/box] [box] The first courageous decision that paves the road on attican level for more to follow is a reality. Expressing the residents will, the Municipality of Pallini adopted their resolution for the water to remain a secure and inexpensive good for all people, and the managing company, EYDAP, to stay in public hands and to continue to be a public and social company.[/box]

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We have to add, after the intervention of a member of Movement 136, -which we want to thank- that the first municipality in the country, that took a decision against the privatization of water is the Municipality of Thessaloniki. Recently, at the council meeting on 21.1.13, the Movement 136 made a presentation of its proposal for the non-privatization of water and for the passage of the company to the hands of citizens of Thessaloniki.After a discussion the council unanimously opposed the privatization of EYATH. Also, in the municipality Ampelokipon-Menemeni in Thessaloniki on 9.1.13 it was founded the corresponding water cooperative, in which first member became the Mayor of Ampelokipon-Menemeni.

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