Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-15-Speech-4-120"
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"en.20011115.5.4-120"2
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".
The report’s recitals state that water “is not a commercial product like any other” and that “access to water is an inalienable human right”. Such statements, however, carry little weight with Vivendi, Suez and other huge corporations, who have appropriated the water ‘market’ for themselves in order to squeeze enormous profits from it, with the blessing of the State. These statements look more like a desperate plea, considering the industries that pollute and ruin the planet’s resources for the greater good of their shareholder’s bank accounts.
In the twenty-first century, at a time when the world has never had such great technical capability, the fact that an entire swathe of humanity does not have access to running water, let alone drinking water is largely due to the social barbarity of capitalism.
The issue of water, which is vital for hundreds of millions of human beings far exceeds the geographical boundaries of Europe and, if we are to solve it, and many other problems, humanity would need to put an end to the dictatorship of the market, of profit and of competition. The rapporteur supports this system and envisages the “sustainable management of water resources” by means of pricing and rate setting. This would mean, once again, that those with the means, both individuals and particularly industrial groups, could continue to waste water, even to pollute, whilst others who are poorer, will continue to do without.
Society should provide water, this vital commodity, free of charge to everyone and its management should be planned according to the real needs of the population and subject to democratic control. It is quite clear that the current organisation of the economy, based on the quest for profit, is fundamentally incapable of guaranteeing a “sustainable management of water resources” and consequently represents a threat to the future of mankind, in this area as in many others."@en1
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