(13 juni 2013) In een vandaag uitgegeven verklaring spreekt de gemeenteraad van Luxemburg steun uit voor het het EBI “Water is een mensenrecht!” In de verklaring stelt de raad: “de drinkwater voorziening is een openbaar goed en kan niet beschouwd worden als handelswaar. De gemeente draagt de verantwoordelijk om deze voorziening te waarborgen, alsmede voor de kwaliteit en bereikbaarheid en betaalbaarheid voor haar inwoners. Gezien het fundamentele belang van de drinkwater voorziening dient deze in publiek handen te blijven.”
(12 June 2013) A combination of opposing privatisation and putting forward practical alternatives is helping water campaigners mount an effective challenge to austerity in Greece. Right2water is with the Greek citizens and the citizens’ movement ‘Initiative 136’ to keep water companies in public hands. The idea of ‘ Initiative 136’ is that if every water user bought a non-transferable share, ‘the public could own the water company through a system of neighbourhood co-operatives of water users coming together through a single overall co‑operative’.
(6 juni 2013) News Splash 19: Op 9 september 2013 stopt het Europees burgerinitiatief ‘Water is een mensenrecht!’ met het verzamelen van handtekeningen en worden deze in die week allemaal ter bekrachtiging ingeleverd bij nationale autoriteiten
(4 June 2013) "The Commission cannot wash its hands in innocence in Greece. They are part of the troika that DOES impose privatisation as a condition for bailout," the European Federation of Public Services Union has struck out in response to a New Europe article on privatisation of water in Europe and Kriton Arsenis MEP's resignation on 29 May.
(Press communication 28 May 2013) On Sunday 26 May the first European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) to have collected over 1 million signatures had another major back up with French minister of Housing and land management Cécile Duflot.
(28 May 2013) To raise awareness about the “global water crisis” that we are facing and about the many millions of people that lack their human right to water or sanitation, German national Stefan Pfeiffer will do a pilgrimage from the North Cape in Norway to Santiago de Compostela /Finisterre in Spain. He will walk the 5800 kilometres in 180 days, starting the first of July. Right2water supports this pilgrimage and we wish Stefan good luck and lots of success and publicity during this journey!
Several hundred trade union and works council representatives of Germany’s water companies organized a demonstration to demand that water is taken out of the concessions directive. The German government and the EU Commission were demanded to be clear about declaring water a human right. Representatives of other partners in support of the ECI joined as well. EPSU was represented by the Deputy General Secretary. The demo was supported by Ver.di. It took place on 14 May 2013 in Berlin.
(15 MAy 2013) Jean Ziegler, former UN special rapporteur on the right to food, speaks about privatisation of water and the need for civil society to speak out for peoples’ rights
(13 May 2013) A new success for the groups that oppose the privatisation of the Thessaloniki water company. They have brought together the necessary funding to play a role in the bidding for the Thessaloniki Water Supply & Sewerage (Eyath) company.
(7 mei 2013) News Splash nr. 18: Deze news splash brengt u uitstekend nieuws! Water is een mensenrecht - heeft meer dan 1,5 miljoen handtekeningen ingezameld in heel Europa, en dat aantal blijft stijgen. Acht landen zijn het minimum aantal vereiste handtekeningen gepasseerd. Deze landen zijn: Oostenrijk, België, Finland, Duitsland, Litouwen, Luxemburg, Slowakije en Slovenië.
Renate Brauner, Vienna Councilor for Finance and Economic Affairs, Heidrun Maier de Kruijff, Secretary General of the Federation of Public and Cooperative Economy and Enterprises of Austria, and Thomas Kattnig, International Secretary of the Union of Municipal Employees - KMSfB, express their concern
