Instead of an ideological obsession with illusory private sector ‘solutions’, the international community would do better to support socially ambitious public operators working together in partnership with other public utilities.
It had been billed as a summit to push for universal access to water, but attending the Budapest Water Summit held last week felt like grasping at a mirage of water in a desert. The slogans and appearance were attractive, but held no prospect of delivering the human right to water for all.
(Press release: 24 July 2013) A large group of Greek, European and international organisations, networks and others have requested the bidders for the Thessaloniki Water and Sewage Company to withdraw their bids. They want the bidders to respect the wishes of the workers and local communities who do not want their company to be run by private operators.
TNI and other civil society organisations say that G8 has no legitimacy to make decisions about food, land and nutrition. Increased transparency will not stop land grabbing.
A combination of opposing privatisation and putting forward practical alternatives is helping water campaigners mount an effective challenge to austerity in Greece.
The European Spring's Days of Action, that targeted the EU Summit and its austerity agenda, provides important lessons on how to develop alliances between trade unions, grassroots movements and civil society organisations.
A visual overview of privatisation of public services and assets enforced on crisis countries by the European Commission and European Central Bank. And the popular resistance movements to defend public services that have emerged as a result.
This working paper and infographic provide an overview of a great ‘fire sale’ of public services and national assets across Europe that is providing profits for a few transnational companies but is often fiercely opposed by its citizens.
Politicians like to argue that we are 'all in it together' when it comes to austerity measures but there are definitely winners and losers in the current Euro crisis.
