European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU)
Press Release 11 September 2018
EU Citizens Initiative disappointed with result European Parliament vote in Committee on Recast Drinking Water Directive

(Press release 11 September 2018) Yesterday the Environment and Public Health committee of the European Parliament voted the report on the Recast of the Drinking Water Directive. A key issue for the first ever successful European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) Right2Water was the recognition of the human right to water in EU legislation. The proposals from the European Commission were not ambitious and we asked Parliament to strengthen them. Key amendments to achieve this were rejected by a slim majority of MEPs of the EPP, ALDE, ECR and ENF groups. The discussion will now move to the plenary in Strasbourg in October.
As organisers of the ECI we will continue to campaign for the European Parliament to take into account the importance of realizing the Human Right to Water in this piece of legislation. Millions of people are still denied this right in the EU. "MEPs have a unique and once-in-a-life-time opportunity to bring forward this fundamental human right", says Jan Willem Goudriaan, the general secretary of EPSU one of the key organisations behind the Right2Water campaign and vice-president of the ECI committee.
With less than 10 months to go to the European elections, he adds: "MEPs can show that they have listened to the demands of nearly 2 million citizens who actively supported this right. They supported our campaign as they believed the ECI would help ensure the European institutions deliver something closer to people's expectations. They engaged with Europe. It will be an major disappointment if MEPs reject the steps to anchor this right in EU law."