Water justice and Europe's Right2Water movement. Issue 1 (2nd January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: van den Berge, Jerry; Vos, Jeroen; Boelens, Rutgerd
• Is Part Of: International journal of water resources development. Volume 38:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 173
• Page End: 191
• Publication Date: 2022-01-02
• Subjects: Human Right to Water -- privatization -- social movement -- European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) -- European Commission -- Covid-19; Water resources development -- Periodicals; Water-supply, Agricultural -- Periodicals; 333.91005
• DOI: 10.1080/07900627.2021.1898347
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0790-0627

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In 2013 the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) 'Right2Water' collected 1.9 million signatures across Europe against water privatization. It became the first ever successful ECI and has built a Europe-wide movement. Right2Water sought for Europe's legal enforcement of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation (HRWS) as a strategic political tool to challenge European Union market policies. The paper examines the ECI from a social movement perspective. Although the European Commission subscribed that 'water is a public good, not a commodity', its implementation is subject to continuing politics and socio-political struggle, with growing urgency in times of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.