Since March 2013 a new initiative “SOSte to nero”
(Save the water and/or help for water, http://sostetonero.blogspo.com) is acting in the greater are of Thessaloniki. Many
local citizens’ initiatives, scientific organizations, political and ecological
groups, workers unions, municipalities and independent citizens are forming the
movement “SOSte to nero”.
“SOSte to nero” is a wide coalition against
privatization of water and is fitting to avoid the selling of EYATH (Thessaloniki
Water Supply & Sewerage SA) and to exclude EYATH from TAIPED (HRADF,
Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund SA).
“SOS te to nero” called the municipalities of the
greater Thessaloniki area to organize local referendums, in order the people of
Thessaloniki express their own will, about the selling of EYATH. The process to
the local referendums will give the opportunity for the citizens of
Thessaloniki to be informed about the failure of privatization of water
worldwide.
Since these days, all the municipalities of the
greater Thessaloniki area have decided to organize local referendums. But,
although the greek low is allowing such local referendums, the necessary
presidential act is not yet published.
The present effort of the “SOSte to nero” is to
“press” local municipalities to organize the referendum, without waiting the
presidential act and already some of the mayors (among them the Mayor of
Thessaloniki, the central municipality) have announced their intent to organize
the referendum.
On the other hand, TAIPED is processing to the selling
of EYATP. After the end of the first step of the privatization process, where 4
investment groups expressed their interest to acquire a 51% stake in the share
capital of EYATH, two groups (Suez Environment-AKTOR-TERNA
and Mekorot-Αrison)are continuing,
awaiting the call of TAIPED to submit their offers.
At the end of July 2013, more than 130 organizations
(national, European and internationals) and Members of the European Parliament
addressed to the future buyers of EYATH and call them to withdraw their offers.
Some helps in the struggle against privatization of
water are the recent statements: (a) of the Commissioner M. Barnier, after the success of initiative “right2water”, that “…the best solution now appears to remove water from the
scope of the concessions directive”[1],
and (b) of the Commissioner O. Rehn that “The Commission recognises that water is a public
good which is vital to citizens and that the management of water resources is a
matter for MS, and therefore has a neutral position on the public or private
ownership of water resources”[2].
These statements are not
stopping the Greek Government to proceed for water privatization and only the
people’s resistance will cancel their plans. The effort against privatization of water will continue and “SOSte to
nero” is fatting to raise the matter as a main one which is crucial not only
for the public economic interest, but also as a matter of democracy.
When water supply and sewerage disposal are, privatized
and the common good, the water, is turn into profit and the citizens instead of
having access to it and participate to the management of water, are becoming
clients, then the people’s power is degraded and the democracy is withdrawn.
In “SOSte to nero” we say “We are the majority, but we
have to show it”.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου