On the occasion of World Water Day, MEP’s from GUE and EL Members, have reiterated their commitment to defend an exclusive public service of collection, treatment and supply of water. “We insist on the public ownership and management of water resources without any subordination to the rules of competition”.

The Lisbon Treaty facilitated attempts to subordinate some areas of national public services to the operating rules of the supranational single market. Thus, the EU submits economic and social policies and rights, as well as strategic national interests, to the rules of single market competition.

According to the MEP’s, the struggle for the defence of water as a public and universal asset in all its dimensions constitutes is a valuable heritage. In recent times, there was elaborated written declaration in the EP with this goal that managed to gather 226 signatures from MEPs.

“Once more, we denounce both the inequalities and social exclusion resulting from privatization, the increase in water prices and the degradation of services' quality. We stress that, in several cases, it was necessary to return to the public management of these services”.

With the deepening crisis of capitalism and the increasing submission of political power to economic power, inflicting serious and successive attacks against social rights and achievements, against the living conditions of the populations and against the decision-making power of countries and peoples, the EU's objective of pressing them for the adoption of privatization strategies is becoming more and more clear, also concerning water management.

“The European Commission should be urged to review the relevant legislation, namely that related to public contracts and concessions, in a way that will ensure public ownership and management of water services. Furthermore, we call upon the European institutions and Member States to ensure that the right to water and sanitation is, in fact, universally guaranteed for all people without exclusion, which implies pricing policies orientated towards the universal fruition of the services and not towards making profit or the recovery of capital”.