2014/2239(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Recital -A (new)

-A. whereas the human right to water and sanitation was explicitly recognised by the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council in 2010;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)

Ab. whereas human beings are essentially water. Around two thirds of our organism is comprised of water. Some 75 percent of our brain is made up of water, and water is the principal vehicle for the electrochemical transmissions of our body;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Recital A c (new)

Ac. whereas our blood flows like a network of rivers in our body. Blood helps transport nutrients and energy to our organism; whereas water also carries from our cells waste products for excretion; whereas Water helps to regulate the temperature of our body; whereas the loss of 20% of body water can cause death; whereas it is possible to survive for various weeks without food, but it is not possible to survive more than a few days without water; whereas water is life;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Recital A d (new)

Ad. whereas the human right to water has continued to fail to be fully recognised, despite clear references in various international legal instruments and international agreements identifying a range of human rights such as: the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; whereas among the rights protected by these various declarations and covenants are the rights to life, to the enjoyment of a standard of living adequate for health and well-being, to protection from disease, and to adequate food; whereas the covenants and international agreements contain evidence supporting the conclusion that the drafters considered water to be both a fundamental right and a ‘derivative’ right – part of the other rights discussed more explicitly;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas access to water is among the keys to achieving sustainable development; whereas focusing development assistance on improving the supply of drinking water and sanitation ~~tends to be particularly beneficial for women, because of the social roles often given to them, and can also be an efficient way of pursuing fundamental poverty eradication objectives~~is an efficient way of pursuing fundamental poverty eradication objectives, as well as promoting social equality, public health, food security and economic growth;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which entered into force in 2013, created a complaint mechanism allowing individuals or groups to file formal complaints on violations of the human right to water and sanitation, among other rights;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas in developing countries and emerging economies, demand for water is increasing from all sectors, in particular for energy and agriculture; whereas climate change, urbanisation and demographic developments may pose a serious threat to water availability in many developing countries and an estimated two-thirds of the world’s population is expected to live in water- stressed countries by 2025;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas water challenges disproportionately affect women, given that in many developing countries they are traditionally responsible for domestic water supply; whereas women and girls suffer most from the lack of access to water and adequate sanitation, which limits their access to education, reduces their economic opportunities, and makes them more vulnerable to violence and disease;

Amendment 17 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Charles GOERENS, Catherine BEARDER

Draft opinion
Recital B c (new)

Bc. whereas the EU is the largest donor in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector, with 25% of its global humanitarian annual funding dedicated only to supporting development partners in this area; whereas, however, a 2012 ECA Special Report on EU’s assistance for drinking water and basic sanitation in Sub-Saharan countries pointed out the need for improving aid effectiveness and the sustainability of the projects supported by the EU;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas access to safe drinking water and sanitation is inextricably linked to the right to life and human dignity and to the need for an adequate standard of living;

Amendment 19 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Charles GOERENS, Catherine BEARDER

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe declared ‘that Access to water must be recognised as a fundamental human right because it is essential to life on earth and is a resource that must be shared by humankind’;

Amendment 2 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Charles GOERENS, Catherine BEARDER

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. ~~whereas at least 600 million people do not have sustainable~~more than a billion people in the developing world lack access to safe drinking water, and a third of the world population lacks basic sanitation necessary to reduce exposure to water-related diseases; whereas, as a result, diseases spread, causing suffering and death and posing major impediments to development; whereas about 2 000 children under five years old die daily from diarrhoea is the second largest cause of death among children under five, and a majority of these deaths are linked to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene; whereas there is, however, a clear downward trend in these numbers; Whereas the lack of access to potable water kills more children than AIDS, malaria and smallpox combined;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Recital B c (new)

Bc. whereas the EU Water Framework Directive recognises that ‘water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such’;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

C. whereas the Court of Auditors in 2012 found major problems in the EU’s assistance for drinking water supply and basic sanitation in Sub-Saharan countries, and whereas the Commission has promised to continue ongoing work to ensure the quality of this assistance;deleted

Amendment 22 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Charles GOERENS, Catherine BEARDER

Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the privatisation of basic utilities in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 1990s has i.e. hampered the achievement of MDGs on both water and sanitation, as the focus of investors on cost recovery has among others intensified inequalities in the provision of such services, at the expense of low-income households; whereas in light of the failure of water privatisation, the transfer of water services from private companies to local authorities is a growing trend in the water sector all around the world;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the European Union and the Member States shall comply with the commitments and take account of the objectives they have approved in the context of the United Nations and other competent international organisations;

Amendment 24 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Charles GOERENS, Catherine BEARDER

Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas access to water is essential for life, health, food, well-being and development and water can therefore not be considered simply as a commodity;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the commitment of the Commission to ensure that the human rights dimension of access to safe drinking water and sanitation remains at the heart of its development policy1; acclaims the importance of the European Citizens’ Initiative instrument and hopes that it will become increasingly effective and, above all, lead on to legislation; __________________ 1 Communication from the Commission on the European Citizen’s’ Initiative ‘Water and sanitation are a human right! Water is a public good, not a commodity!’ (COM(2014)0177), p. 10.

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Highlights that the human right to water and sanitation is closely linked to a number of key global challenges addressed in the post-2015 framework, such as health, energy, food, employment, gender equality and environmental sustainability;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses that access to a basic water requirement should be a non- debatable fundamental human right implicitly and explicitly supported by international law, declarations and State practice;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Calls on Governments, international aid agencies, nongovernmental organizations and local communities to work for providing all humans with a basic water requirement and to guarantee that water is a human right;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Urges for ‘human right to water’ to be included in the list of universal fundamental human rights including the right to sufficient water, at appropriate quality, to satisfy the explicit right to life and the broader rights to health and well- being;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas water is a vital asset for every human being and for the entire planet, and whereas it follows that everyone has the right to access this important resource; whereas the UN Resolution of 28 July 2010 lays down that access to clean, good-quality drinking water and basic sanitation is a human right, but despite this at least 600 million people do not have sustainable access to safe drinking water, and a third of the world population lacks basic sanitation~~; whereas~~ and, as a result, diseases spread, causing suffering and death and posing major impediments to development; whereas about 2 000 children under five years old die daily from diarrhoea, and a majority of these deaths are linked to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene; whereas there is, however, a clear downward trend in these numbers;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)

1d. Stresses that in developing countries, where water is even more a limited resource the prior use of water should be to fulfil the need to the local population and in local agriculture and not in the industrial use of water; reminds that use of water should respect of the ecosystems;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)

1e. Points out that acknowledging a human right to water would encourage the international community and individual governments to renew their efforts to meet basic water needs of their populations; this recognition would make it more likely for states and governments to translate the human right to water into specific national and international legal obligations and responsibilities;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 f (new)

1f. Stresses that acknowledging a human right to water maintains a spotlight of attention on the deplorable state of water management in many parts of the world including some EU countries and the developing countries;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 g (new)

1g. Reminds that by acknowledging a human right to water and expressing the willingness to meet this right for those currently deprived of it, the water community would have a useful tool for addressing one of the most fundamental failures of 20th century development;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses the responsibility of the State to ensure that the provisions of services of water and sanitation are sustainable, accessible, safe, affordable and culturally acceptable, without discrimination; strongly supports the inclusion of the goal of ensuring safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030 among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be adopted in September 2015; stresses that realisation of all SDGs requires mobilisation of much more financing for development than is currently provided, including from new sources, as well as robust and effective water governance, the creation of monitoring compliance mechanisms and the setting- up of strategies to ensure the full justiciability of these rights, with a view to achieving universal access;

Amendment 35 #

Davor Ivo STIER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Strongly supports the inclusion of the ~~goal of ensuring safe drinking~~Sustainable Development Goal 6 on ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and ~~adequate~~ sanitation ~~and hygiene~~ for all by 2030 ~~among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)~~within the Global development framework after 2015 to be adopted in September 2015; stresses that realisation of allmbitious and innovative SDGs requires mobilisation of much more financing for development than is currently provided~~, including from new source~~ or that can be provided through ODA alone; stresses the importance of domestic resource mobilization as well as innovative financing instruments;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Strongly supports the inclusion of the goal of ensuring ~~safe drinking~~availability and sustainable management of water and ~~adequate~~ sanitation ~~and hygiene~~ for all by 2030 among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be adopted in September 2015; stresses that realisation of all SDGs requires mobilisation of much more financing for development than is currently provided, including from new sources;

Amendment 37 #

Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Strongly supports the inclusion of the goal of ensuring safe, public drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030 among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be adopted in September 2015; stresses that realisation of all SDGs requires mobilisation from both developing and developed countries and deployment of much more financing for development than is currently provided, including from new sources;

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Strongly supports the inclusion of the goal of ensuring safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030 among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be adopted in September 2015; notes the importance of ensuring that water remains a development aid priority; calls on the EU and its Member States to see to it that access to drinking water and sanitation are priority topics at the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21); stresses that realisation of all SDGs requires mobilisation of much more financing for development than is currently provided, including from new sources;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Recognises the human right to water and sanitation at a time when illness caused by lack of drinking water and sanitation causes more deaths than war does; Furthermore to guarantee the right to water in developing countries signifies saving aid resources in other areas such as medicines and health issues in general;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas ~~at least 600~~748 million people do not have sustainable access to safe drinking water, and a third of the world population lacks basic sanitation; whereas, as a result, diseases spread, causing suffering and death on enormous scales and posing major impediments to development; whereas about 24 000 children ~~under five years old die daily from diarrhoea, and a majority of these deaths are linked~~die daily from water-borne diseases or due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene; whereas there is, however, a clear downward trend in these numbers and their decline can and must be accelerated;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Reminds that ensuring sustainable management of groundwater is indispensable to poverty reduction and shared prosperity. It accounts for more than a third of municipal and industrial supply and some 40 percent of the global irrigated area is serviced by groundwater. Groundwater has the potential to provide an improved source of drinking water for millions of urban and rural poor people. Many poor farmers and their families depend on it to irrigate their crops and sustain their livelihoods;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Empha~~Insisets that ~~assistance for safe drinking water and sanitation should be given high priority in the allocation of funds and~~the WASH sector in developing countries should be given high priority both in official development aid (ODA) and in national budgets; recalls that water management ins a~~ssistance programming; favours~~ collective responsibility and requires the joint effort of national governments, local communities and international donors; favours, in this regard, open-mindedness in relation to different aid modalities, but strict adherence to development effectiveness principles and to an unwavering focus on poverty eradication and the maximisation of the development impact;

Amendment 42 #

Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that assistance for safe, public drinking water and sanitation should be given high priority in the allocation of funds and in assistance programming; favours open-mindedness in relation to different aid modalities, but strict adherence to development effectiveness principles and to an unwavering focus on poverty eradication and the maximisation of the development impact; in this regard, supports the involvement of local partners in the realisation of projects in developing countries, as well as the principle of community ownership;

Amendment 43 #

Aldo PATRICIELLO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that assistance for safe drinking water and sanitation (including the optimisation and modernisation of existing aqueducts) should be given high priority in the allocation of funds and in assistance programming; favours open- mindedness in relation to different aid modalities, but strict adherence to development effectiveness principles and to an unwavering focus on poverty eradication and the maximisation of the development impact;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that assistance for safe drinking water and sanitation should be given high priority in the allocation of funds and in assistance programming; favours open-mindedness in relation to different aid modalities, but strict adherence to development effectiveness principles and to an unwavering focus on poverty eradication and the maximisation of the development impact; stresses the need to monitor financing strategies and budgets to ensure that allocated funds address existing disparities and inequalities in access to water and respect the human rights principles of non- discrimination and equality, as well as access to information and participation;

Amendment 46 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Charles GOERENS, Catherine BEARDER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Underlines that an efficient and equitable management of water resources relies on the capacity of local governments to deliver services; therefore calls on the EU to further support the strengthening of water governance and infrastructure in developing countries, while addressing particularly the needs of vulnerable rural populations;

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to adopt a policy implementing the human right to water and sanitation as recognised by the United Nations, and promoting the provision of water and sanitation as essential public services for all;

Amendment 48 #

Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Emphasises the importance of technology sharing for the design, construction and maintenance of programs; calls for effective monitoring of projects carried out through external aid;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Deems that the strong interdependencies between water and other fundamentals such as energy and food require clear recognition in the post- 2015 framework; in particular, recalls that access to water is essential for agriculture in order to realise the right to adequate food; hence, stresses the need to ensure access to sufficient water for marginalised and poor farmers for subsistence and small-scale farming;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas at least 600 million people do not have sustainable access to safe drinking water, and a third of the world population lacks basic sanitation; whereas, as a result, it jeopardises the right to health as diseases spread, causing suffering and death and posing major impediments to development; whereas about 2 000 children under five years old die daily from diarrhoea, and a majority of these deaths are linked to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene; whereas there is, however, a clear downward trend in these numbers;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Notes that the UN Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) outlines that donor funds for water are currently predominantly directed to construction of large-scale infrastructure, which often leads to the degradation of existing systems1; calls on the EU to reflect in its allocation of funds the recommendation of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation according to which donors should review their funding allocations to favour small-scale rather than large-scale infrastructure, and to allocate more funds to operation and maintenance, capacity building and awareness-raising; __________________ 1Realising the human rights to water and sanitation / Handbook, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), 2014, p. 31.

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Notes with concern that, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, people living in slums generally have to pay more than those living in formal settlements to receive unregulated, poor quality services; hence, urges developing countries to prioritise budget allocations for services for disadvantage people and for people living in areas that do not have access to services, so as to progressively eliminate inequalities; in particular, insists that regulatory bodies and providers engage residents of urban informal settlements in the design of tariffs, subsidies and the mode of payment of service charges;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. WSupports the Global Water Solidarity Platform launched by UNDP in order to engage local authorities in finding solutions to water challenges; also welcomes the ‘1 % solidarity for water and sanitation’ and other initiatives taken by citizens and authorities in some Member States in order to support projects in developing countries with funds from consumption fees; notes that such initiatives have been put into practice by several water utilities; reiterates its call on the Commission to encourage solidarity arrangements in this area; e.g. through dissemination of information, facilitation of partnerships and exchanges of experience;

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the ‘1 % solidarity for water and sanitation’ and other initiatives taken by citizens and authorities in some Member States in order to support projects in developing countries with funds from consumption fees; reiterates its call on the Commission to encourage solidarity arrangements in this area; in particular, encourages the promotion of Public- Public partnerships in water facilities in developing countries, in line with the Global Water Operators’ Partnership Alliance (GWOPA) coordinated by UN Habitat;

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the ‘1 % solidarity for water and sanitation’ and other initiatives taken by citizens and authorities in some Member States in order to support projects in developing countries with funds from consumption fees; reiterates its call on the Commission to encourage solidarity arrangements in this a~~rea~~nd other areas, including through a potential partnership between the Commission and Member States, with supplementary Community funding being provided for projects implemented via that initiative;

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Urges the European Commission to ensure that aid is spent effectively and that it is better targeted to the WASH sector in the perspective of the post-2015 development agenda; calls on the creation of a global monitoring mechanism to track progress in achieving universal access to safe drinking water, the sustainable use and development of water resources, and the strengthening of an equitable, participatory and accountable water governance in all countries;

Amendment 56 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Encourages public sector and partly state-owned water supply companies operating in developing countries to reinvest all the profits generated by the water management cycle in maintaining and improving water services and in protecting water resources; invites the EU and Member States, to that end, to promote an exchange of best practices, in fields such as water management, water treatment and water conservation, between European companies and companies operating in developing countries;

Amendment 57 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Charles GOERENS, Catherine BEARDER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Calls on the Commission to re-launch the ‘Water Facility’ instrument, which has proved to be effective in fostering better access to water services in developing countries by promoting capacity-building measures for local communities;

Amendment 58 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Reaffirms that access to drinking water in a sufficient quantity and of a sufficient quality is a basic human right and considers that national governments have a duty to carry out this obligation; reasonable access to water means at least 20 litres per person per day from a clean source within a radius of 1 km;

Amendment 59 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Charles GOERENS, Catherine BEARDER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Insists on the need for local public authorities to be given support in their efforts towards establishing an innovative, participatory, democratic system of public water management that is efficient, transparent and regulated and that respects the objectives of sustainable development;

Amendment 6 #

Ivan JAKOVČIĆ

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas at least 600 million people do not have sustainable access to safe drinking water, and a third of the world population lacks basic sanitation; whereas, as a result, diseases spread, causing suffering and death and posing major impediments to development and safety; whereas about 2 000 children under five years old die daily from diarrhoea, and a majority of these deaths are linked to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene; whereas there is, however, a clear downward trend in these numbers;

Amendment 60 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Charles GOERENS, Catherine BEARDER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4c. Emphasises that distribution of water should be essentially looked upon as a public service and hence organised as such to guarantee affordable access for all;

Amendment 61 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Charles GOERENS, Catherine BEARDER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4d. Calls on the Commission and Member States not to consider water supply and management of water resources as subject to internal market rules;

Amendment 62 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

~~5. Hopes that the Court of Auditor’s follow-up to its Special Report 13/2012 will show that sustainability and other problems found have been addressed successfully.~~deleted

Amendment 7 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Charles GOERENS, Catherine BEARDER

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas a lack of access to water and sanitation has consequences for the realisation of other human rights, including the right to education, since children - especially girls - are often forced to skip or drop out of school due to a lack of separate and decent sanitation facilities;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the Resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the UN on 28 July 2010 recognises the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights;

Amendment 9 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Javier NART

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas every year, 3 and a half million people die of water-borne illness;

source: 554.745

2015/04/20 PETI 55 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Enrico GASBARRA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Considers that the Commission’s follow- up to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) Right2Water (R2W), as proposed in its communication, falls short of expectations as the Commission had already announced that it would step up efforts towards ensuring full implementation of EU water legislation by the Member States, reviewing the EU Drinking Water Directive and proposing amendments; hopes that the Commission and the Vice-President responsible for sustainability will make a clear political commitment to ensuring that appropriate action is taken in response to the concerns raised by this European Citizens’ Initiative;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that an ECI is an important tool for making citizens’ voices heard in the legislative procedure ~~and that an admissible and appropriate ECI~~. Therefore, utmost transparency should be implemented during the 2 month analysis phase by the Commission, and that an admissible and appropriate ECI should, in the first place, count with adequate legal support and counselling on behalf of the Commission, be adequately visibilised and publicised, and promoters and supporters kept fully informed and up to date during the whole process, which should in principle result in a new Commission legislative proposal, at least when the Commission has committed itself to doing so, as in the case of the ECI R2W;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that an ECI is ~~an important tool for making citizens’ voices heard~~the only tool that EU citizens have at their disposal to influence directly the European Commission in the legislative procedure and that an admissible and appropriate ECI should in principle result in a new Commission legislative proposal that respects the demand as set out in the ECI, at least when the Commission has committed itself to doing so, as in the case of the ECI R2W;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Recognises the human right to water, entailing everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use as described by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural rights, as a basic human right protected under international human rights law.

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 (new)

highlights, therefore, that providing an insufficient answer to the first successful ECI could be detrimental for the reliability of the ECI as a tool of democracy among EU citizens;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Insist that the Commission effectively implements the ECI regulation and proceeds for the removal of all administrative burdens encountered by citizens when submitting and following an ECI, and urges the Commission to consider the implementation of a common ECIs’ registering system to all Member States.

Amendment 15 #

Notis MARIAS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Calls on the Commission to support strongly efforts by Member States to develop and upgrade infrastructures providing access to irrigation, sewerage and drinking water supply services;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Considers that more should be done to improve the quality and quantity of the information available to citizens in relation to water quality and services; Insists that the response given by the EC to the Right2Water ECI is insufficient; asks the European Commission with regard this particular ECI to lead a serious information campaign on the measures that have already been taken in the field of water and how these measures could contribute to the achievements of the objectives of the Right2Water ECI,

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Reminds the Member States on their responsibility in implementing EU law; urges them to fully implement the EU Drinking Water Directive and all related legislation,

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)

2d. Reminds the MS to identify their spending priorities and to make full use of the opportunities of EU financial support in the water sector provided in the new financial programming period ( 2014- 2020), in particular through an investment priority specifically centred on water management,

Amendment 19 #

Svetoslav Hristov MALINOV, József NAGY

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)

2e. Recalls that water is a basic human right that should be accessible and affordable to all; highlights that Member States have a duty to ensure that water should be guaranteed to all via considering the most suitable public or private operators who deliver quality water to the public while making sure that the operators provide safe drinking water and improved sanitation,

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Considers that the Commission’s follow- up to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) Right2Water (R2W), as proposed in its communication, ~~falls short of expectation~~does not meet citizens’ expectations of concrete actions and legislative proposals as the Commission had already announced that it would step up efforts towards ensuring full implementation of EU water legislation by the Member States, reviewing the EU Drinking Water Directive and proposing amendments;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 f (new)

2f. Recognises that Member States in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity have the right to choose different schemes for water delivery; declares that water should not be a source of illegitimate profit for neither public nor private operators, calls for increased transparency and information in water management and water pricing schemes within the Member States,

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 g (new)

2g. Notes that Member States should pay special attention to the needs of vulnerable groups of the society and to ensure affordability and accessibility of quality water to those in need as well,

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Recalls the obligation to guarantee access to justice and information in environmental matters, and public participation in decision-making, as laid down in the Aarhus Convention; calls on the Commission to proactively set up a campaign to inform EU citizens about the achievements of the Convention in the field of transparency and the effective tools already at their disposal, and to fulfil the provisions referring to the EU institutions, and to guarantee EU citizens the right to water financially speaking;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Recalls the obligation to guarantee access to justice and information in environmental matters, and public participation in decision-making, as laid down in the Aarhus Convention; calls on the Commission to proactively set up a campaign to inform EU citizens about the achievements of the Convention in the field of transparency and the effective tools already at their disposal, and to fulfil the provisions referring to the EU institutions; Calls on the Commission to develop transparency, accountability and participation criteria as a mean to improving the performance, sustainability, cost-effectiveness of the water services;

Amendment 24 #

Miriam DALLI, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Recalls the obliga~~Stresses that there is a remarkable number of petitions t~~o guarante~~hat highlight several issues in the access to justice ~~and~~, information in environmental matters, and public participation in decision-making, as laid down in the Aarhus Convention; calls on, therefore, on the European Commission, the Member States and their regional and local authorities to comply with the principles and the rights enshrined in the Aarhus Convention; reminds that the citizens’ awareness of their rights is fundamental in order to achieve their largest participation in the decision- making process; therefore urges the Commission to proactively set up a campaign to inform EU citizens about the achievements of the Convention in the field of transparency and the effective tools already at their disposal, and to fulfil the provisions referring to the EU institutions;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Recognises the importance of the right to water to Women and Children as stressed in the United Nations Convention’s on eliminating all forms of discrimination against women and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Recalls that Directive 2006/123/EC on services in the internal market had already received a strong opposition from civil society in many aspects, including the matters related to services of general economic interest like water distribution and supply services as well as waste water management; reminds that eventually EU institutions were forced to include these sectors into services which cannot be liberalised;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes that ~~every year its~~since 1988 the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament has been receivesing a significant number of petitions from EU citizens expressing their concerns about water quality and quantity and waste- water management; Draws attention to the number of negative factors - like waste landfills; failure by authorities to control water quality; irregular or unlawful agricultural and industrial practices - denounced by petitioners which impact on the environment and human health and are responsible for poor water quality, considers that these petitions demonstrate a genuine interest on the part of citizens in thorough enforcement and further development of water-related EU legislation;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes that every year its Committee on Petitions receives a significant number of petitions from EU citizens expressing their concerns about water quality and waste- water management; considers that these petitions demonstrate a genuine interest on the part of citizens in thorough enforcement and further development of sustainable water-related EU legislation;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes that every year its Committee on Petitions receives a significant number of petitions from ~~EU citizens~~many EU countries, especially from Spain, Portugal, Greece, Ireland, Germany and Italy, expressing their concerns about water supply as well as its quality and waste- water management; considers that these petitions demonstrate a genuine interest on the part of citizens in thorough enforcement and further development of water-related EU legislation;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)

A. Having regard to the 1979 convention on the Elimination of All forms of discrimination against Women (CEDAW, Art.14(2)) and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (RC, Art.24)

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 (new)

considers that many of the petitions concerning water quality and water management come from Member States which are not well-represented in the scope of the EU-wide public consultation launched in June 2014, and therefore stresses that there could be an inconsistency between the result of the public consultation and the situation highlighted by petitions;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Deplores the fact that in the EU-28 there are still more than 1 million people who lack access to a safe and clean drinking water supply and nearly 2% of the population lack access to sanitation based on the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) and therefore urges the Commission to act immediately;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Believes that there should be an assessment of the European water and sanitation projects and programmes from the perspective of human rights in order to develop appropriate policies, guidelines and practices;

Amendment 33 #

Aldo PATRICIELLO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Urges the Commission ~~to take the citizens’~~strongly to acknowledge the concerns and warnings expressed by citizens in such petitions ~~seriously~~ and to act upon them, in particular when there is still time to prevent pollution and mismanagement;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Urges the Commission to take the citizens’ concerns and warnings in such petitions seriously and to act upon them, in particular whgiven the~~re is still time to prevent pollution~~ urgent need to address diminishing water resources due to pollution, over-use, climate change and mismanagement;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Urges the Commission to take the citizens’ concerns and warnings in such petitions seriously and to act upon them, in particular when there is still time to prevent pollution and mismanagement; reminds that a growing amount of petitions regarding the TTIP negotiation and opposition to include essential public services like water and sanitation in it is observed by the Committee;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Urges the Commission to take the citizens’ concerns and warnings in such petitions seriously and to act upon them, in particular when there is still time to prevent pollution and mismanagement; expresses its concern about the remarkable number of infringement procedures concerning water quality and water management and highlights the great number of petitions focussing on these issues;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Urges the Commission, the Member States and regional and local authorities to stimulate a more structured and intersectoral dialogue between stakeholders bringing together public and private service operators, to allow citizens to engage more actively on issues related to water,

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Calls on the Commission to increase the accountability of water suppliers;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to draw up ~~binding~~ legislation to ensure that all information on water quality and water management is made available by the competent authorities to the citizens concerned in an easily accessible and understandable form, and that citizens are fully informed in good time about any water-management projects so that they can be consulted and get involved;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)

stresses that - The EU-wide public consultation launched in June 2014 could not possibly represent the real situation across EU given that almost half of the 5.908 answers came from just one country (namely Germany), - The Commission did not guarantee that Water and sanitation services will be excluded from the TTIP negotiations and it did not clearly affirmed that water and water sanitation should not be approached with market-based point of view; - The alleged European Commission´s neutrality regarding the ownership and the management of water seems to be contradictory with the privatisation programmes imposed to some Member States by the Troika

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to draw up binding legislation to ensure that all information on water quality and water management is made available by the competent authorities to the citizens concerned in an easily accessible and understandable form, and that citizens are fully informed in good time about any water-management projects so that they can be consulted and get involved; considers, moreover, that in the public consultation launched by the Commission, the 80% of the participants considered essential an improvement in the water quality monitoring transparency;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 – point 1 (new)

(1) Notes that particular importance should be given to low-income areas and geographical regions which have high and vast instances of poverty accumulation, especially in regions where extreme poverty can be noted.

Amendment 43 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Javier NART

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls the Commission to develop the idea of benchmarking water quality as a way of empowering citizens;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the Member States to complete their River Basin Management Plans as a matter of urgency, and as a key element of enforcement of the Water Framework Directive, and to implement them properly with full respect for the overriding ecological criteria;

Amendment 45 #

Svetoslav Hristov MALINOV, József NAGY

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the Member States to complete their River Basin Management Plans as a matter of urgency and to implement them properly with full respect for the overriding ecological criteria; draws attention to the fact that certain Member States are increasingly confronted with damaging floods and their severe impact on the local population; points out that the River Basin Management Plans under the Water Framework Directive and the Flood Risk Management Plans under the Floods Directive are a great opportunity to exploit synergies between the instruments that help achieve clean water in sufficient quantities while reducing flood risk;

Amendment 46 #

Miriam DALLI, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the Member States to complete their River Basin Management Plans as a matter of urgency and to implement them properly with full respect for the overriding ecological criteria; furthermore recalls that each Member State shall have a central webpage to provide information on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in order to facilitate an overview of the water management and quality;

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Calls on the Commission to identify Member States, Regions and areas where water shortage is an existent or potential issue and help the identified Member State, regions and areas to properly address this issue.

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Recalls the obligation of Member States to guarantee that the right to water and sanitation will be exercised without discrimination of any kind, in particular in rural and deprived urban areas, through adopting appropriate legislation and programmes and ensuring that these are adequately resourced and monitored;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Calls on the Committee of Regions to get more involved in this European Citizen Initiative in order to help regional authorities get more involved in the issue.

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Reiterates the commitment of the Committee on Petitions to give voice to petitioners on issues concerning fundamental rights; reminds that petitioners of the ECI R2W have expressed their agreement to declare water as a human right guaranteed at EU level, on the basis of the UN General Assembly Resolution 64/292;

Amendment 50 #

Enrico GASBARRA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on the Commission to carefully monitor the use of EU funding for water- management projects and to ensure that such funding is used only for projects for which it was intended; calls on the Court of Auditors in this respect to verify that the criteria regarding efficiency and sustainability are satisfactorily fulfilled.

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on the Commission to carefully monitor the use of EU direct and indirect funding for water- management projects and to ensure that such funding is used only for projects for which it was intended, also considering that access to water is pivotal in reducing disparities between EU citizens and in enhancing the economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU.

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls on the Commission to take into consideration the current lack of investment in balanced water management, when water is one of the shared assets of EU citizens.

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Invites the Commission to set up a benchmarking system (water quality, affordability, sustainability, coverage, etc.) in order to improve quality public water supply and sanitation services across the European Union;

Amendment 54 #

Jérôme LAVRILLEUX

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Points out that sound water management is shaping into a priority for the decades to come, both ecologically and environmentally, as it responds to requirements in the fields of energy and agriculture and to economic and social imperatives.

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Calls on the Commission to introduce a governance code in cases of private companies in order to deter them from taking profit out of the company as well as to ensure that gains are being reinvested into the water supply system or invested in improvements of water supply and increasing access to water and sanitation for the most deprived;

Amendment 6 #

Notis MARIAS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1α. Calls on the Commission to include the water as part of the Agenda for Change, together with sustainable agriculture;

Amendment 7 #

Notis MARIAS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Calls on the Commission to participate in measures to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and post- 2015 (millennium development) goals, so as to uphold constantly the right to drinking water;

Amendment 8 #