Water a human right - not for sale

Water a human right – not for sale – support a European Citizens Initiative

The European Citizens Initiative (ECI)  to collect 1 million signatures calling for the EU to recognise the Human Right to Water, has close to 300.000 people supporting it already. It calls for recognizing the human right to water rather than continuing to explore plans for liberalization of water services.  A German broadcast exposed the European Commission’s plan to privatise water and how it is influenced by the multinational companies. www.wdr.de/tv/monitor/sendungen/2012/1213/wasser.php5  English transcript available at: http://www.right2water.eu/fr/news/monitor-commission-plans-water-privatisation) This would also effect Scottish Water.  The Commission promotes further competition, seeks to introduce smart meters, and trading of water rights in its Blueprint for water (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:52012DC0673:EN:NOT ).

The ECI is a new form of European action created by the Lisbon treaty,  which provides an opportunity to get the European Commission to listen to citizen views rather than just lobbyists in Brussels. UNISON and the other UK public service unions are member of one of the supporting organisations – the European Federation of Public Services Unions, and the whole union movement supports it through ETUC. 

Supporting the initiative is simple: go to  http://www.right2water.eu/  , read the statement of the ECI objectives, and sign up. All over the EU almost 300.000 have done so. Let’s join them.  And please encourage others to do so by circulating this message.