Our water is not for sale ! Notre eau n’est pas à vendre ! Ons water is niet te koop ! La nostra acqua non è in vendita !

Common ACTION by TRADE UNIONS and the EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE UNIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, WATER ACTIVISTS and DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATIONS ON

WORLD WATER DAY

Wednesday, 22 March 2006

Our water is not for sale!

We want:

Water and wastewater completely out of the services (Bolkestein’s) directive.
Water and wastewater out of GATS.
No liberalisation and privatisation of water and wastewater.
Clean, safe and affordable drinking water is a human right. Water supply is a public service.

Hence:

CALL for ACTION in BRUSSELS

Let’s meet at 10.30 a.m. on rond-point Schuman

Take part. Let the European Commission know that we do not agree with the commercialisation of our water. Water is a public service and must remain so.

This call is supported by EPSU (European Federation of Public Service Unions), ACOD (CGSP) and ACV Public Services, 11.11.11- Coalition for the Flemish North-South movement, PROTOS, Oxfam Solidarity, FOS, the Belgian Association for World Water contract, Attac Flanders.

WHY ACTION ON WORLD WATER DAY

The European Commission plays an important role in the increasing pressure to consider water as a commodity and to liberalise and privatise water services. That is why the trade unions and the European Federation for Public Service Unions, environmental groups and cooperating development organisations in 11.11.11 are calling for action on 22 March. That day throughout the world attention will be paid to issues involving water such as scarcity, pollution and the fact that more than a billion people have no access to clean, safe and affordable drinking water and many more people are deprived of wastewater purification. World water day is also the day to demand the right to water as it is recognised by a United Nations Commission.

In many places throughout the word, World Water Day is seized as an opportunity to protest against the commercialisation of our drinking water and the purification of wastewater. We will join this protest. Our action forms part of the broad movement that calls for an end to poverty in the world. The clock is ticking and action is required on the part of our governments.

We want the European Commission and the Council of Ministers:

To leave Water and Wastewater outside the reach of the Service directive. The amended proposal by the European Parliament does not go far enough.
Not to request any country to open water and wastewater services to competition in the framework of GATS negotiations. The European Commission should not provide these services either. A clear and public stand is required on the part of the European Commission, which is conducting GATS negotiations on behalf of the EU Member States.
To take a stance against the liberalisation and privatisation of water and wastewater services, and for water and wastewater services as public services. This also implies that the European Commission must stop promoting the private sector in developing countries. The Commission must devote itself to the improvement of public, public cooperation and cooperation without pursuit of profit.
To recognise access to clean, safe and affordable drinking water as a human right and take the initiative to secure this right for the European Union.

Let’s meet on Wednesday, 22 March at 10.30 a.m. on Rond-Point Schumann. We will form a human chain from Aquafed, the lobby group of private companies and multinational water companies, to the EU Council of Ministers building and the European Commission building. The action highlights how closely the private companies lobby is breathing down the Commission’s and our governments’ neck. The human chain will symbolically pass on water in one direction and money in the other. In order to make it clear that opposition is possible, we ask Belgian and European politicians to break the chain with a sign stating: “Our Water is not for sale”; and “Water is a human right”. The action will last until 11.30 a.m. and will be followed by a number of speeches. The conclusion of the action is scheduled for 12 p.m.

For further background information: Jan Willem Goudriaan, EPSU, e-mail: jwgoudriaan@epsu.org, GSM: +32 (0475) -256912

Marc Maes, 11.11.11- Coalition for the Flemish North-South movement, e-mail: Marc.Maes@11.be, GSM: +32 497 600 442

Read our background information