European Union: Parliament rejects water liberalisation

March 31, 2004 -- In a vote on the report of the European Commission's Internal Market Strategy Priorities 2003-2006, the European Parliament has rejected the water liberalisation proposal, as put forward by Internal Market Commissioner, Frits Bolkestein.

"Bolkestein must now feel lonely", said Jan Willem Goudriaan, Deputy General Secretary of the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), a vigorous opponent of water privatisation.

"The only sensible thing to do is for the Commissioner to acknowledge the lack of support for this proposal and withdraw it at once," he added.

Contact: EPSU, [email protected] , EPSU (http://www.epsu.org/)