Another look at the privatisation of a necessary resource
In 2009 I was on a bus going from a Copenhagen residents lovely little home to the Bella Center where the COP15, the United Nations run Climate Change Council hyped up by the press and the global leadership that was about to attend had achieved, in what was deemed to have been a historic stance for the environment.
Sitting next to me was senior figure from Greenpeace Amsterdam who could not stop singing the praises of Coca Cola.
This was only my second day, of what was to be an eye opening eight days, at the absolutely jam packed event where all involved in private business which would be somehow monetarily affected by any governmental moves to work for the environment, instead of their interests, would drum up the full force of their resistance.
Coca Cola worked with Greenpeace at the COP15 and am sure ever since and even before that for a reason the Greenpeace official made quite clear to me "they're working to preserve the two key ingredients necessary for their product, sugar and water."
They're not the first company to get involved with the sourcing and running of clear water in the world, many companies have since the privatisation of water to companies began in Europe.
Since Margaret Thatcher's term as Prime Minister of the UK where privatisation was passed; consumers had to pay up to 50% more for their consumption within the first four years and be subjected to unknown water cuts in households.
This is one example that Kriton Arsenis has used to announce his resignation on 29 May from the Pan Hellenic Socialist Party of Greece making him an independent member of the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg, and at the same time a vocal opponent of what is happening in terms of privatisations in Greece.
The last drop of water which he says, really overflowed his glass was the Greek decision to privatise the water facilities of his hometown, the city of Thessaloniki; Greece's second largest city and capital of the north as it is often called.
He calls the measures taken by the government in Greece as anti growth and innovation basing all of its methods on selling such national resources.
The main worry seems to be that if England in its privatisation enterprise on water experienced such hurdles, with a well known and repected mechanical system which supports their water system, what would happen to a hydrological system which doesn't have any similar system in place?
In an interview that MEP Arsenis gave to SKAI radio today in Athens he also mentioned the precarious experience that Paris experienced due to its water privatisation.
According to the European Commission Water management is one of its environmental priorities. The framework directive on water sets out the guidelines for water policy, it more especially promotes the use of pricing and taxation as an incentive for consumers to use water resources in a more sustainable manner and to recover the cost of water services per sector of the economy.
According also to the European Commission there are major differences between the water pricing systems in the Member States. "In the south European countries for example agriculture, which is a major water consumer, pays for its water at preferential rates (because of various subsidies). Recently pricing played an increasing part in the water policy in many member states. In the countries which joined the European Union in 2004 water pricing is also expected to expand, mainly owing to the major cost of alignment with the community patrimony."
At the same time one of the current procedures under the European Citizens initiative purports that clean drinking water is a human right, and this is not a sector to be privatised.
Right2water.eu describes its petition which has reached more than 1.4 million signatures as a call to all member states to ensure that water remains a public good, not a commodity.
"We invite the European Commission to propose legislation implementing the human right to water and sanitation as recognised by the United Nations, and promoting the provision of water and sanitation as essential public services for all," the citizens initiative describes on its site.
Resources are inflaming all sorts of debates in the current global and European decision making process, water in particular is a resource necessary to all human beings made up of more than 80% of H20.
Nelson Mandela once said "let there be work, bread, water, and salt for all", but in a country like Greece where the dryness spells keep increasing with predictions forecasting the temparatures and soil situation more akin to that of it's African immediate neighbours past the Mediterranean, what would be the best path for improving water quality and distribution?
According to Kriton Arsenis it's not by keeping EU funds int he coffers of the water distributors but improving the status quo, the move towards privatisation and its results remain to be seen.
The United Nations passed a resolution in July 2010 which it states that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights. Resolution 64/292 called upon States and international organisations to provide financial resources, help capacity-building and technology transfer to help countries, in particular developing countries, to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.
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The European Commissioner for the environment Janez Potocnik has a pretty clear mandate when it comes to water in Europe, "Clean water is a priceless resource which cannot be taken for granted, and access to clean water is essential. Human activities have a huge influence on water quality and quantity, so the EU has put in place a range of legislative measures to ensure that drinking water, bathing water; surface waters and groundwater across Europe reach a high level of cleanliness," but what happens when privatising water is a part of the €50 million programme agreed to by Greece on privatisations it has made long overdue in order to fulfil its membership criteria to the European Union?
Following media reports both Commissioner Potocnik and Commissioner Michel Barnier released a statement underlining that privatisations would not be forced ont eh member states from the Commission.
"The Commission recognises that water is a public good which is vital to citizens and that the management of water resources is a matter for Member States.
"The Commission has a neutral position on the public or private ownership of water resources.
"For cases where a public authority decides to provide services through a private economic operator, the Commission has proposed rules that will contribute to transparency and effectiveness in the spending of public money by enabling public authorities to make better choices.
"Acknowledging the importance of water, the Commission made sure that its proposal for a Directive on the award of concession contracts fully recognises and supports the autonomy of local authorities regarding the provision and organisation of services of general economic interest, including water. Public authorities will, at all times, remain free to choose whether they provide the services directly or via a third party, notably a private economic operator.
"The proposed Directive will therefore not lead, under any circumstances, to imposed privatisation of water services," the joint statement had said.
