EU Policy Areas

The Movement has a common platform to guide immediate actions to modify existing European directives or to work as a base for new bottom-up proposals for new directives and new principles for the governance of water in the European Union.

Our areas of interest can be summarized in four main points:

  1. Water is not a commodity, it is a collectively owned commons and a universal right and like other natural elements, it is fundamental for the balance of ecosystems and for the survival of the planet, its management must take into consideration the rights of the Nature.
  2. Ownership and management of water services and water infrastructure have to be public, participative and under social control;
  3. “Full cost recovery” under the cost recovery principle (WFD, art. 9) as a guiding principle of financing integrated water services in Europe needs to be amended. It should instead secure access to water to households. Securing funds for investment in extraordinary infrastructures should be achieved through general taxation;
  4. The participation of citizens and workers in the management of services is a necessary condition for having a new governance model of the commons.

We are currently working on the following EU policy areas: