Parliament’s Vote on ownership unbundling disappointing
Press Communication, 7 May 2008
Parliament’s Vote on ownership unbundling disappointing
(7 May 2008, Brussels) The European Parliament Committee on Energy voted with a narrow majority to force Member States to break up vertically integrated companies in the electricity sector, 6 May. The evidence presented by the European Commission for its ideological view has been criticised and found unfounded and based on erroneous assumptions. The social consequences for workers and citizens have not been investigated. The positive historical experience of many countries with vertically integrated companies has been neglected. It has opted for full ownership unbundling.
“The vote is a disappointment as critical evidence which indicates that vertically integrated companies deliver on investment, lower prices and user satisfaction has simply been ignored. Those MEPs in favour have further neglected their responsibility to argue that the critical infrastructure the networks present should be in public ownership” says EPSU’s Deputy General Secretary Jan Willem Goudriaan.
EPSU will continue to seek to convince MEPs that Member States should have a wider range of options and that the European Union should stop interfering with how Member States decide to organise their public services.
Amendments to seek the establishment of consumer representation bodies have also been defeated. Conservatives in the European Parliament prefer that powerful corporate interests with deep pockets dominate and deny consumers representation on crucial issues.
For information please contact:
Jan Willem Goudriaan epsu@epsu.org + 32 2 2501080
More information on EPSU positions: http://www.epsu.org/r/198
EPSU press ending
EPSU is the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It is the largest federation of the ETUC. 8 million public service workers from over 200 trade unions are members. They organise workers in the energy, water and waste sectors, health and social services and local and national administration.
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