European municipalities unite against GATS and Services Directive
“GATS and the Services Directive will restrict local democracy. The services directive is a bad piece of legislation” said a French municipal councillor at the meeting of European municipalities which have declared themselves GATS free zone. The Mayor of Gent Frank Beke referred to the resolution to keep water out of GATS adopted by the majority of Flemish municipalities. The participants in the meeting linked GATS and the Services Directive.
EPSU Deputy General Secretary Jan Willem Goudriaan called on participants to take action to reject the text of the Services Directive and convince European Parliamentarians to keep public services out, to ensure labour law, collective agreements are not covered and to delete the country of origin principle. Susan George, ATTAC agreed and equally asked participants to go home and work to defeat the services directive. PSI’s Mike Waghorne introduced the GATS campaign of PSI. He also argued for the promotion of Quality Public Services.
EPSU Executive Member Gilbert Lieben (CGSP) and from the city of Liege, spoke of the actions undertaken by the Belgian unions to mobilise public opinion against the Directive.
The two day meeting was organised by the European Steering Committee of Municipalities opposed to GATS (more then 1000 now). The meeting established a permanent network for the promotion of public services. A resolution was adopted: www.agcs-gats-liege2005.net
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