27 Amendments of Iratxe GARCÍA PÉREZ related to 2014/2239(INI)
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas water is a common good which should be preserved and protected, whereas water provision is a natural monopoly and all revenues from the water management cycle should be reinvested in the protection of water services and itscover the cost of water services and be reinvested in its protection and improvement;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas water has social, economic and ecological functions and managing the water cycle correctly for the benefit of all will safeguard its continued and stable availability in the current context of climate change;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the ECI was set up as a mechanism of participatory democracy with the aim of encouraging citizens’ direct involvement in EU decision-making, and is an excellent opportunity for the EU institutions to re-engage withcome closer, as is imperative, to citizens;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the fact that the support of almost 1.9 million EU citizens for this ECI has influencedconcurs with the Commission’s decision to exclude water and sanitation services from the Concessions Directive;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers it regrettabledisappointing and disheartening that the communication lacks any real ambition, does not meet the specific demands made in the ECI and limits itself to reiterating existing commitments;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to recognise the importance of the human right to water and sanitation and of water as a public good and a fundamental value for all EU citizens; expresses, laying stress on their being, as stated by the UN, sufficient, safe, acceptable, accessible and affordable for personal and domestic use and expresses, therefore, its concern that an increasing number of people are facing difficulties in paying their water bills and states that affordability is becoming a matter of growing concern;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Asks the Member States to ensure that a fair, equitable, transparent and adequate system for water and sanitation charges is applied so that members of public are guaranteed access to high quality services irrespective of their income;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to address the lack of available data, considering the effects of the recent economic crisis, to collaborate with the Member States in conducting a study on water poverty issues, including issues of access and affordability, in the different EU Member States;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support public water companiewater service operators in the EU which lack the necessary capital to access available EU funding and long-term loans at a preferential interest rate, especially for the purpose of extending water and sanitation services to the poor;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to bear in mind that water management has to be incorporated as a cross-cutting factor in legislation on other fields quintessential to it, such as energy, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, etc.;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Asks Member States to put an immediate end to situations where water supply is cut for non-payment of bills due to socioeconomic factors in low-income households, as water cannot fulfil its social function unless all parts of society receive a genuine, safe and affordable supply of water;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that countries across the EU, including Spain, Portugal, Greece, Ireland, Germany and Italy, have seen the potential or actual liberalisationoss of public ownership of water services become a major issue of concern to citizens;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Takes the view that, with regard to regulation and control, the public ownership of water needs to be protected by encouraging public, transparent and participatory management models in which, in certain cases only, the public ownership authority would be able to concede some management tasks to private initiative, on strictly regulated terms and always guaranteeing the right to the resource and to adequate sanitation;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Urges the Member States to enactmove towards a genuine Social Agreement for Water, with the aim of guaranteeing the availability, stability and safe management of the resource, in particular by enacting policies such as the establishment of water solidarity funds and other mechanisms for social action to support people who are unable to afford access to water and sanitation services;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Expresses its concernCondemns the fact that denial of the provision of water and sanitation to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, such as Roma, is being used in a coercive manner in some Member States;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Encourages water companies to reinvest all economic revenues generated from the water management cycle intoUrges Member States to apply the Water Framework Directive effectively, in particular Article 9 on the full recovery of the cost of water services with the aim of maintaining and improving water services and protecting water resources;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Takes the view that tariffs should reflect the actual cost, in line with the principles of fairness and transparency, and that they should be used solely to offset the costs of the service; in this context, recommends putting an end to practices where water bills include concession fees that have not been earmarked for water infrastructure but for other financial needs of the municipality or local body providing the service;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Notes the worrying state of infrastructure in some Member States, particularly where water is being wasted owing to leaks and the poor state of mains water pipes, and calls for greater investment and urgent measures to improve and modernise this infrastructure;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls, therefore, for increased transparency among water operators, in particular through the development of a public governance code for water companies in the EU; takes the view that this code should be based on the principle of efficiency and should always be subject to the environmental, economic, infrastructure and public participation provisions of the Water Framework Directive;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Points out that, in the case of water, the services sector offers a huge potential for creating jobs through environmental integration, and for fostering innovation through technology transfer between sectors and through RDI applied to the entire water cycle; calls, therefore, for particular attention to be paid to boosting the sustainable use of water as renewable energy;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses that EU development policies should fully integrate universal access to water and sanitation via in their promotion ofgramming and enhance the public- public partnerships based on not- for-profit principles and solidarity between water operators and workers in different countries; reiterates that the development policies of EU Member States should recognise the human rights dimension of access to safe drinking water and sanitation and that a rights-based approach requires both support for legislative frameworks, financing and the strengthening of the voice of civil society in order to realise these rights in practice;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Underlines that assistance for safe drinking water and sanitation should be given high priority in the allocation of EU funds and in assistance programming; calls on the European Commission to ensure adequate financial support to capacity-development actions in the water domain, relying on and cooperating with existing international platforms and initiatives;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses that although progress towards the Millennium Development Goal on safe drinking water is on track, almost one billion people are still drinking untreated drinking water, while the sanitation target is far from being met; reiterates that ending poverty through the post-2015 process is only possible if we ensure that everyone, everywhere has access to clean water, basic sanitation and hygiene;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Emphasises that ambitious and far- reaching targets for water and sanitation should be included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as it is water and sanitation issues that underpin nearly every other development indicator encompassed in the current and future development frameworks; stresses that targets should centre around basic or minimum access but also go beyond this towards more efficient, affordable and sustainable water and sanitation services;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Underlines the increased risk of water scarcity due to climate change; reiterates that without continuous efforts to mitigate climate change consequences as well as improved water resources management, the progress towards poverty reduction targets, the Millennium Development Goals, and sustainable development in all its economic, social and environmental dimensions, could be jeopardized;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Commends certain water operators which dedicate a percentage of their annual turnover to water partnerships in developing countries, and encourages the Member States and the EU to create the necessary conditionslegal framework for putting such partnerships in place;