Water

[Water is a Human Right campaign] First ever European Citizens Initiative to make it !

Brussels, 7 May - The first ever European Citizens Initiative (ECI) – Water is a Human Right! – has collected over 1.5 million signatures across Europe. Eight countries have just passed the minimum number of signatures required. The European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Water is a Human Right!’ is a pan-European initiative calling for the European Union (EU) to guarantee clean drinking water and quality sanitation for everyone living in Europe. EPHA, one of the (...)

Land grabbing - With land goes water

Under pressure from rising food prices, many nations have begun to acquire large tracts of agricultural land in foreign countries, a practice known as ‘land grabbing’. New research has now quantified current levels of land grabbing and demonstrated that it is accompanied by concerning levels of ‘water grabbing’ which could affect water supplies in those countries. Under pressure from rising food prices, many nations have begun Land grabbing, defined as the (...)

European Mayors support our Citizens Initiative on Water and Sanitation as a Human Right. What about you?

On the Human Rights Day, mayors from 10 major European cities have appealed to their citizens to support the European Citizens’ Initiative on Water and Sanitation that EPHA and partners support and promote, together with the European Federation of Public Services Unions (EPSU). On the 10 December 2012, mayors from Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Genoa, Ghent, Leicester, Nantes, Naples, Paris, Moita and Vienna have joined forces with civil society and trade union campaigners to call (...)

Campaign Aiming at Collecting 1 Million Signatures for water and sanitation - Next steps

On October 24, and within the framework of the European Federation of Public Service Unions-led "Water is a human right!" campaign, EPHA participated in this initiative’s coordinators meeting. What is a European Citizens’ initiative (ECI)? The European citizens’ initiative is a new legal tool which allows one million EU citizens to participate directly and in a legally binding manner in the development of special (for example, public health) EU policies. What does it (...)

European Parliament draft report on the EU Commission Proposal amending Directives regarding water policy

Chemical and Water pollution are among the main health and environmental worries expressed by EU citizens. The EU Commission proposal to amend the existing EU water legislation as regards priority substances is on the table of the Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI Committee). EPHA’s focus is on the draft European Parliament report. About the EU’s Water Policy The Water Framework Directive (WFD), adopted in 2000, takes an integrated (...)

Water is a Human Right campaign - Sign online!

The European citizens’ initiative ‘Water is a Human Right!’ is now collecting signatures online. The campaign is a pan-European initiative calling for the European Union (EU) to guarantee clean drinking water and quality sanitation for everyone living in Europe - a window of opportunity to support a cause worth advocating for… and it only takes your signature. “Water is not a commodity but a public good that must be safeguarded, not opened up to (...)

European Commission new Innovation Partnership on Water still treats water as a commodity

Despite its initial ambition to seek solutions in market-driven innovation and research in accessing to safe, clean and affordable water and sanitation, the European Commission proposal (released last 14 May 2012) on the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Water only strengthens a vision of water as a commodity and not as a public good. EPHA evaluates the proposal Against the background of its support to the European Citizens’ Initiative Right to Water. Read the Commission (...)

Reports’ findings - an inefficient use of water resources in Europe

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), millions of people in Europe lack access to drinking water. In addition, and according to the European Environmental Agency (EEA), more than 50 percent of the rural population in 10 European countries have no access to clean water. Such a patchy access to running, safe water has a devastating impact on people’s health status, creating an unfair level of avoidable health inequalities. Clean water is a crucial natural resource, (...)

EPHA Statement on the World Water Day 2012: “Access to water and sanitation is a human right, not an ordinary commodity”

22 March 2012 - On the occasion of the World Water Day, EPHA encourages policy makers and citizens alike to join and sign the first European petition on Water and Sanitation asking for the European Union to help achieve universal access to water and sanitation within and outside the European Union. The signatures’ collection should be officially launched at the end of April 2012. The objectives of the campaign, led by EPSU and joined by EPHA is to guarantee water and sanitation (...)

World Water Day: Join the campaign to defend our right to water and sanitation

EPHA has joined the campaign to defend our right to water and sanitation as a public good and a Human Right. Led by the European Federation of Public Service Unions, a coalition of unions and civil society will launch the first European Citizen’s Initiative hoping to receive one million signatures in support of the right to water on the 2nd April 2012. "Water is a public good, not a commodity!" The European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI) on Water and Sanitation as a Human Right (...)