[Urbanstudy] Written declaration in the European Parliament to Fight Privatization of our Water Resources

[Vinay Baindur]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: V. Suresh and D. Nagasaila



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*From:* Gabriella Zanzanaini <gzanzanaini at fweurope.org>
* *
Dear friends, (français en dessous)

There is some good news from Brussels, 5 MEPs have today launched a written
declaration (attached) in the European parliament to make sure EU
legislation guarantees that water remains in public hands. This is a very
political issue in the Parliament and mainly covers privatization of water
in Europe. They have three months to collect more than 300 signatures from
other MEPs (only MEPs can sign it), if they are successful, it will be
handed to the other European institutions and will have to be taken into
account by Member States. This may not lead to a legislative change of
course, but is a good opportunity for us to use as a goal in terms of our
campaigns or awareness raising issues and ties in well with the preparations
of the Alternative World Water Forum.

A written declaration does not have much legal weight, but if the European
Parliament (which represents the citizens of Europe more directly than the
other EU institutions) can collect enough signatures among its MEPs, it
shows that the movement against the privatization of water is getting
stronger, even in its birthplace.

We have distributed a press release for this today, but will also be
drafting a letter which will be sent around to collect signatures from NGOs
to then sent to MEPs to urge them to sign the declaration. We will be
counting on your support!

Please contact me at gzanzanaini at fweurope.org if you would like any more
information. Please feel free to distribute to other networks.

In solidarity,
Gabriella

Chers amis,

Il ya quelques bonnes nouvelles de Bruxelles, 5 députés européens ont lancé
aujourd'hui une déclaration écrite (ci-joint) au Parlement européen pour
 garantir que l'eau reste en mains publiques. C'est une question très
politique dans le Parlement et porte principalement sur la privatisation de
l'eau en Europe. Ils ont trois mois pour recueillir plus de 300 signatures
de députés européens (que les députés peuvent le signer), si elles
réussissent, il sera remis aux autres institutions européennes et devra être
pris en compte par les États membres. Ce ne peut pas conduire à un
changement législatif bien sûr, mais c'est une bonne occasion pour nous de
l'utiliser comme un objectif en termes de nos campagnes de sensibilisation
et cadre bien avec les préparatifs du Forum alternatif mondial de l'eau
(FAME).

Une déclaration écrite n'a pas un grand poids juridique, mais si le
Parlement européen (qui représente les citoyens de l'Europe plus directement
que les autres institutions de l'UE) peut recueillir suffisamment de
signatures parmi ses députés, il montre que le mouvement contre la
privatisation de l'eau devient plus forte, même dans sa ville natale.

Nous avons distribué un communiqué de presse aujourd'hui, mais on va
également rédiger une lettre qui sera envoyée à tous pour recueillir des
signatures des ONG/organizations pour ensuite envoyé aux députés européens
pour les inciter à signer la déclaration. Nous comptons sur votre soutien!

Contactez-moi à gzanzanaini at fweurope.org si vous souhaitez plus
d'informations et n''hésitez pas à le distribuer à d'autres réseaux.

Amitiés,
Gabriella




This is our press release from today, welcoming the move:

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

*11 November 2010*

* *

*Food & Water Europe Welcomes MEPs’ Move to Fight the Privatization of Our
Water Resources*

*Brussels *- Food & Water Europe welcomes the initiative of five MEPs who
today launched a written declaration in the European Parliament to fight the
privatisation of water resources. Together the MEPs, Giommaria Uggias,
François Alfonsi, Véronique de Keyser, João Ferreira and Niccolò Rinaldi
have reaffirmed the importance of the protection of water as a public asset.

“Claims that privatization would bring efficiency and better service have
not materialized,” says Food & Water Europe Executive Director Wenonah
Hauter. “Instead, we have seen communities suffering from numerous problems
including poor maintenance and rising bills, demonstrating why the movement
to stop the privatization of water is gaining momentum around the world.”

The privatization of water began in Europe, but this so-called “French
Model” of private water management is being rejected on its home turf.
Numerous municipalities around France are fighting for a return to public
water, and in one of the most high-profile cases, its capital Paris ended
its contract with Veolia and returned to public water this year.

Elsewhere around Europe, a similar trend has been brewing; in Italy more
than 1.4 million people signed a petition calling for a referendum against
the privatization of their water services.

The failures of water privatization don’t stop at Europe. In the United
States, the city of Atlanta ended its water contract with United Water 16
years early due to delayed repairs, lost jobs, inadequate responses to
emergencies and charges to the city for work not done.

In Latin America, in La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia, privatization of public
water services (pushed by the World Bank and IMF) worsened access to water
for poor communities who couldn’t pay. In Cochabamba, Bolivia, after a week
of multiple protests, the president of Bolivia was forced to terminate its
water privatization contract with Aguas del Tunari, a subsidiary of Bechtel.


“The privatization of water has simply been a failure everywhere in the
world. It has failed in the global south, it has failed in the United States
and it is not working in the EU,” says Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of
Food & Water Europe.

 “It is crucial that all MEPs in the European Parliament sign this written
declaration to send a clear message that water is not for profit and that
access to water needs to be protected as an affordable public good and part
of the global commons,” urged Gabriella Zanzanaini, Director of European
Affairs for Food & Water Europe.

*Food & Water Europe is a program of Food & Water Watch, Inc., a non-profit
consumer NGO based in Washington, D.C., working to ensure clean water and
safe food in Europe and around the world. We challenge the corporate control
and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people to take
action and transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and
drink.*

Contact: Gabriella Zanzanaini, +32488409662, gzanzanaini(at)fweurope.org



 Gabriella Zanzanaini
Food & Water Europe
Rue d'Edimbourg 26
Brussels 1050
Belgium
tel: +32 (0) 2893 1045
mobile: +32 (0)488 409 662
gzanzanaini at fweurope.org
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