On February 10, the European Citizens Initiative (ECI) ‘Water is a Human Right’ campaign made history by becoming the first ECI to have collected over 1 million signatures. Ever since the campaign was started last September by the European Federation of Public Service Unions, EPHA and its member organisations have been one of the leading organisation promoting this campaign across Europe.
“Reaching this important milestone, with one Million EU citizens agreeing that water and sanitation are human rights, is a great success. We appreciate the support of so many and will continue campaigning to pass a strong message to the European Commission. We have also managed to overcome the start up problems, as well as the legal and technical barriers forced upon us by the European Commission and Member States,” said Anne-Marie Perret, President of the Citizens Committee.
But this mission is far from being accomplished. The Water is a Human Right campaign must collect a higher number of signatures. As the ECI requires, a minimum number of signatures must be gathered in each of the EU seven different EU countries set as threshold. So far, the numbers only add up in Germany, Austria and Belgium. The below number of signatures collected so far speaks volumes about the need to further engage people across the EU if the campaign is to success.
GERMANY: 910.737 │ Austria:54.460 │Belgium:7519│Bulgary:425│Cyprus:87 │Denmark:1040│Spain:7986│Estonia:668│Finland:2791│France:2911│Greece:719│Hungary:1209│Ireland:1236│Italy:13.802│Latvia:152
Lithuania:826│Luxembourg:1036│Malta:174│The Nederland:3673│
Poland:541│Portugal:1409 │ Czech Republic:965 │ Rumania:485│
UK:1985 │ Slovakia:5743 │ Slovenia:3069 │ Sweden:2126
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TOTAL: 1.027.774
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The campaign is only half-way. Please visit the Water is a Human Right website to find out the multiple ways in which you can make a difference in people’s strife to halt the privatisation of water resources across the EU.
And on the World Water Day this March 22rd., do not forget to mobilise your colleagues around the, friends, relatives and acquaintances to sign up.
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The ECI Water is a Human Right campaign demands are:
– to guarantee water and sanitation services for all;
– to keep water services out of internal market rules; and
– to increase efforts to achieve global access to water and sanitation for all.
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– EPHA related articles
- Water is a Human Right campaign – Sign online!
- World Water Day: Join the campaign to defend our right to water and sanitation
- Water as a public health good
- How will water shape the 21st century?
- Resources on water and health
- European Commission new Innovation Partnership on Water still treats water as a commodity
- EPHA Statement on the World Water Day 2012: “Access to water and sanitation is a human right, not an ordinary commodity”
- Civil society unites on water policy
- Reports’ findings – an inefficient use of water resources in Europe
- A Decade of “Water for Life” launched on world water day
