European Water Movement | Defending Water as a Commons

Más de 100 académicos europeos alertan contra una propuesta del Parlamento Europeo que podría dificultar la gestión pública de los servicios básicos

La Red de Agua Pública lanza un llamamiento para defender el derecho de los municipios a optar por la gestión directa de servicios como el agua, el transporte o la limpieza.

Más de un centenar de profesionales de la investigación, la docencia, la contratación pública y gestión local han firmado un llamamiento dirigido a la Comisión de Mercado Interior y Protección del Consumidor (IMCO) del Parlamento Europeo. En él, alertan sobre los peligros de una enmienda incluida en el informe sobre la revisión de la Directiva de contratación pública que actualmente se encuentra en negociación.

La enmienda, identificada como 13c, busca introducir obligaciones adicionales para los gobiernos locales y regionales, que deberían justificar por qué optan por la gestión directa y pública de servicios esenciales como el agua, la limpieza o el transporte público, entre otros, en lugar de externalizarlos mediante concursos. Desde el Movimiento Europeo del Agua, red de la que forma parte la Red de Agua Pública, se advierte que esta medida socava el principio de autonomía local y contradice evidencias acumuladas durante años sobre los efectos negativos de la privatización.

La votación de esta propuesta está prevista para el 26 de junio, solo tres días después del Día de los Servicios Públicos (23 de junio), una coincidencia que refuerza la preocupación de quienes defienden la titularidad pública de servicios básicos.

El llamamiento, respaldado por académicos de más de 50 universidades de 18 países, recuerda que esta propuesta contradice incluso los avances votados en semanas anteriores en el comité de Empleo del Parlamento Europeo (EMPL), y va en contra del artículo 345 del Tratado de la UE, que reconoce el derecho de los Estados a decidir el régimen de propiedad de sus servicios públicos.

Desde la Red de Agua Pública, como parte del Movimiento Europeo del Agua, nos sumamos a este esfuerzo para que personas del mundo académico puedan apoyar este posicionamiento.

Si conoces a alguien que trabaje en la universidad, la investigación o tenga experiencia en gestión pública, ¡envíale este enlace para que firme!

Y si puedes, ayúdanos a difundir este mensaje. Porque los servicios públicos deben seguir siendo públicos.

Aquí puedes consultar el llamamiento completo y la lista de firmantes.

More than 100 European academics warn against a European Parliament proposal that could hinder the public

The European Water Movement launches an appeal to defend the right of municipalities to opt for direct management of services such as water, transport and cleaning.

Over 100 professors, academics, researchers and experts in Public procurement, business and public management are calling to the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) negotiating the European Parliament report on the proposal for the revision of the public procurement Directive that is being currently discussed, not to introduce more administrative burden on local and regional governments and to promote more insourcing and inhouse provision when municipalities see fit.

More than 100 professors and academics from over 18 countries and over 50 different universities and institutes are calling the legislators to ensure that inhouse provision is uphold by the current parliament. Some MEPs with a far-right background have been promoting a dangerous element of what is usually called ‘competitive compulsive tendering’ echoing old proposals by the British Thatcherite right.

The proposed amendment 13c would further go against the proposals voted by the EMPL committee a few weeks ago, see here. This amendment (13c) to the IMCO report goes against academic evidence about in-house provision and insourcing in public services. According to the European Water Movement, the proposal would undermine the democratic right of elected municipalities throughout Europe to decide on the form of public service provision they want for the people, a right embedded in article 345 of the EU treaty. It would introduce a system of compulsory competitive tendering. Also, it would increase the load for procurers and would against the simplification objective of the proposed revision.

The current wording of article 13c would create an extra burden on local and regional governments that will have to proof of why they are not putting into the market services that are provided by the local and regional authorities and also it will not simplify the internal procedures of a sector that is already under a lot of strain.

This system was abandoned even in the UK 30 years ago, and multiple studies (here, here, here, here and here) have shown that concessions and outsourced contracts provide no efficiency gains, but rather act as a drain on public finances by the extraction of profits, impose inflexible barriers to policy innovations, undermine service quality, erode public employment and capacity, and create incentives for corruption and cartels. There is now a well-established trend across Europe to remunicipalise such contracts, making savings for public finance and improving services.

Further information and list of signatories: https://www.epsu.org/article/100-academics-urge-meps-protect-house-provision-public-procurement

The European Water Movement has set up a form so that more people from the academic world can add their support before the parliamentary vote: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc170SLHBwx_oOBmEKzojuGhBXPgLDwhYPtCrH-uBV5RydipQ/closedform

Statement by the EWM following its meeting in Lyon

Lyon, April 4-6 2024

Water for all, Water for Peace. At its annual meeting, the European Water Movement reaffirms the public and democratic governance of this vital resource, to be preserved as a common good against any privatization, commodification, war and grabbing.

In front of environmental, social and political emergencies, natural patrimony and water resources must be preserved through prevention and protection. In the face of scarcity, drought and flooding, guarantee of water for everyone must have priority over excessive or illegitimate industrial or agricultural use. It’s imperative to restore disturbed/destroyed ecosystems, and the quality of water dramatically polluted by chemical inputs, PFAS, microplastics, among others. To this end support to the agro-ecological transition must be assured and strict measures must be adopted regarding the use and dumping of toxics.

Implementation of the human right to water and sanitation for all requires the exclusion of water from liberalization, commodification, financialization and grabbing. Governance of water must be public, transparent and participative, with an active role of citizens and workers. Supported and accompanied by public-public partnerships, it must assure affordability, quality of services and investment in infrastructures and maintenance to reduce network leakages.

Countries that are in the process of joining the EU, especially the Balkan ones, must not be sacrificial zones. Their water bodies are part of the European water system and must be preserved by the risk of devastating mining projects; EU neighborhood cannot be reduced just to a source of extraction of critical materials.

The European Water Movement is extremely concerned about the present state of war and crescendo of conflicts where water plays a key role. Water cannot be used as a geopolitical tool, or worse, as a weapon of war, as in Palestine, Syria-Iraq, Ukraine, Turkey and other regions. The European Water Movement reaffirms its unwavering support for these populations and their refugees. It asks for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts of war and joins the UN’s “Water for Peace” appeal.

It expresses also concern about the increasing militarization of the society and demand the stop and an active contrast to the criminalization and discrediting of movements defending the commons and fundamental rights and, more in general, of dissent and freedom of information and speech.

The above instances have been expressed in an open letter to the EU institutions, to the elected representatives and to the candidates in the next European elections, asking for an immediate resuming of the Water Resilience Initiative, articulated on such points.

Water Resilience Strategy, Contribution to the Call for Evidence

March 2025

Contribution by the European Water Movement to the Calls for Evidence

Water Resilience Strategy
Water Efficiency First Principle

The European Water Movement (EWM) is an open, inclusive, and pluralistic network whose goal is to reinforce the recognition of water as a common good and a fundamental universal right. We are united in our fight against the privatization and commodification of this vital resource and in our commitment to constructing a public and communal management system for water, founded on the democratic participation of citizens and workers. The EWM was one of the promoters of the 2012/13 European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “Right2Water” on the Human Right to Water.

The last EEA report on Europe’s State of Water 2024 has highlighted frightening figures on both water quality and quantity in surface waters and groundwaters, where some of the main drivers have been clearly identified.

Although we recognize various positive elements in the Water Resilience Strategy initiated by the European Commission, we believe that some critical issues remain unaddressed. These shortcomings compromise the strategy’s effectiveness, democratic and participatory nature, and, equally important, the preservation of water resources.

The European Water Movement in the Face of the European Economic and Social Committee's Blue Deal Initiative

Photo credits: EESC

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), a consultative body of the European Union (EU), is promoting an initiative to develop a global approach to European water policies. This proposal aims to materialize in a Declaration to be delivered to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union at the high-level conference "Call for an EU Blue Deal" in October 2023, during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU. The EESC's objective is for water to be one of the next EU Commission's top priorities.

Taking into account the relevance of this initiative, the European Water Movement specifies below its position in this regard, identifying the main challenges and its proposals for action related to water in the EU, all to influence the process of development and implementation of the Blue Deal.

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