A year after
the popular consultation that the people of Thessaloniki organised about the plans of the previous Greek government to privatise water (18 May 2014), the President of the Greek
Parliament Zoi Konstantopoulou has solemnly pledged her support to
the implementation of the Human Right to Water as a just societal
demand. It means she will help steer an endorsement through the full
Parliament. She made the announcement at a meeting of the
Thessaloniki City Council and wants Greece to become the first
country to recognise the right.
The
President of the Parliament declared she is open to the demands of
social movements and supports the Right to Water movement. That
movement supported by EPSU brought about the first ever successful
European Citizens Initiative. Her landmark declaration shows the
European Commission that it was wrong not to introduce legislation to
recognise this right following the ECI that collected nearly 1.9
million signatures. The issue is still very much alive for Europe’s
citizens.
Members of
the European Parliament will be voting on a report on the ECI
Right2Water in the forthcoming weeks. The draft report asks the
European Commission to recognise and implement the Human Right to
water and sanitation as defined by the UN Declaration of 2010 in the
EU.
The landmark
declaration came about through a joint effort of European civil
society (the Right2Water ECI, the European water movement and EPSU)
with its local allies (the unions of EYDAP, EYATH and POE-DEIA as
well as groups such as SOSte to Nero and others fighting for the
implementation of human rights). Today Greece has sent a message of
hope to millions of citizens in Europe that have fought and are
fighting against liberalisation and privatisation of water. Water is
a common good.
Source:
Related:
Comments
Post a Comment