European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is still the only one collecting signatures online and in the first month 30,000 people signed it. To raise awareness about ECI and get more signatures on 17 October 2012 the video was launched (http://vimeo.com/49869372).

The ECI is not an ordinary petition. It gives power to “Set the Agenda” of the European Commission. Let people know that signing is NOT just a click on a button.

The campaign champions are in Belgium and Germany so far. In Belgium many signatures have been collected on paper at festivals and fairs and online signing has been promoted through Facebook. In Germany many activities have been organized and a dedicated website has been set up while in Italy many events will take place this month.

ECI has become even more topical following a Commission letter last week that openly includes privatisation of water as a condition for bailout. It shows that market interests continue to prevail over essential human rights. It also shows that the Commission is going beyond the remit of Treaty which regards privatisation as a matter of national sovereignty. The ECI campaign is a means of getting a commitment to the human right to water and sanitation. It is a tool to change the mind-set in the European Commission from a market-based approach with the focus on competition to a rights-based approach with the focus on public service in water.

Water and sanitation are a human right!

Water is a public good, not a commodity!

www.right2water.eu