Progressive Public Water Management in Europe - In search of exemplary cases

(7 September 2009) Public water management is an alternative to privatization argues this publication of Corporate Europe Observatory and Transnational Institute. The study examines a number of cases of European cities and towns were water services are run by public companies. A set of criteria are established to determine what can be called progressive public water management in Europe. They find their origin in the fundamental beliefs that water is a common good, that access to water is an inalienable human right, and that water cannot be privatised or commercialised. Water management must be public and community-based. These principles are shared by water movements all over the planet. They are also endorsed by EPSU has endorsed.

Good quality

Water is fundamental to life. As it is essential for hygiene, nutrition and health, water must have a high quality. Water quality is not only a product of appropriate technical solutions but includes the preservation of natural water resources and water cycles in water catchments, the avoidance of pollution and distortions of fragile eco-systems. Preserving these systems includes good sewage management and wastewater treatment.

Universal Service

All people must have equal access to safe and appropriate water and sanitation services. Disconnections of private households must be illegal.

Effectiveness in meeting needs

Water companies should work effectively. Today, effectiveness often means economic effectiveness and achieving the highest possible profit with the lowest cost. Instead of this one-sided definition, public water companies’ efficiency should be measured by their ability to meet peoples’ needs and assure other elements of public interest. What these needs and public interests are and how they can be met cannot be defined top-down, but must be discussed, defined and evaluated in participatory democratic processes.

Social

Equal access to water must not be dependent on social status. People have different financial resources and a water tariff based only on consumption leads to unequal burdens. Progressive water management must develop mechanisms to ensure that people have equal access to water, regardless of their social status. On the other hand, it should be assured that nobody can use water irresponsibly because he or she has the money and power to do so. {{Solidarity}} Conditions to guarantee the human right to water vary from place to place. Water companies should not only be concerned with the situation in their own geographical area, but should look beyond the rim of their tea cup and help within their capabilities to build up or improve water and sewage services in other places. This can be done by the open sharing of knowledge, by giving financial and technical support, by cross-subsidising and with non-profit co-operation between public companies and communal water systems.

Sustainability

The natural water cycle is a fragile system. Its preservation is essential to guarantee the right to water to following generations as well. We don’t own water; we only borrow it from nature. It is our responsibility to make sure that we use water only in responsible quantities, don’t pollute it and give it back to the water cycle at a high quality. The protection of water sources and the prevention of soil erosion is also our duty. Sustainability must be an underlying principle for all water and sewage companies. Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) can be a tool to achieve this aim.

Good working conditions

One of the most important resources of public services such as water companies is their employees. They are critical for the development and improvement of high quality services. Their working conditions must be good and allow them to have long-term goals and to adopt new ideas and societal needs in their work. To make sure that new public demands on water services are not seen as a threat to their jobs, employees must be fully integrated into public discussions on the development of their services.

Democratic structures and control

’Public’ is commonly understood as being a function of ownership and of political control, through which public services are delivered that meet the needs of the population. This can only work if the structures and practices of water companies are democratic and fully transparent. These require democratic mechanisms that guarantee that all people can take part in decision making and control of all water issues. This must be a participatory process going beyond the formal but often indirect mechanisms of representative democracy.

Progressive legislation

In order to secure long-term consistency, water governance needs to: protect the public character of water services; recognise the human right to water in constitutional and legislative forms; protect water and sanitation services and water resource management from liberalisation, privatisation and commercialisation.

Water governance has to revitalise the public sector according to the above-mentioned criteria, assure public finance, and feature both public and workers’ participation as key ingredients for well-functioning public water systems. The study received support from the Reclaiming Public Water Network, PSIRU and EPSU.

- Progressive Public Water Management in Europe, In search of exemplary cases