Seminar on ’Alternatives to privatisation: progressive public water management in Europe’

Friday 19 September 9.30 - 12.30 Venue: Möllevången - Tangopalatset

Speakers: Emanuele Lobina, PSI Research Unit (PSIRU) Martin Pigeon, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) Mehmet Kartal, Local Agenda 21 of Bursa-Nilufer Municipality, Turkey David Hachfeld, Berlin Water Table / ATTAC Germany Jacques Perreux, Association pour la Fondation Copernic, France managing director for VASYD, the municipal water company of Malmö Guiseppe Nicosia, mayor of city in Sicily, Italy Gith Andersson, Swedish Network for Common Welfare Marco Bersani, Attac Italy Jan Willem Goudriaan, European Public Services Unions (EPSU)

Facilitators: Rosa Pavanelli, CGIL-FP, Italy and David Boys, Public Services International

This seminar focuses on how to strengthen the resistance to the intensifying push by EU institutions and governments for privatising and commercialising water supply in Europe. Activists, unionists and public water managers will present examples of successful progressive public management from across Europe as well as campaigns that promote such models as alternatives to privatisation.

Co-organisers: Association pour la Fondation Copernic, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), European Public Services Unions (EPSU), Svenska Kommunalarbetareforbundet, France Libertè, Transnational Institute, Italian Forum for Movements for Water, World Water Contract, Attac Germany, Local Agenda 21 of Bursa-Nilufer Municipality and others.

Seminar "Towards the World Water Forum in Istanbul and alternatives"

Friday 19 September, 18:00-21:00 Venue: Möllevången - Moriskan

The fifth edition of World Water Forum will be held in Istanbul in March 2009. This forum is illegitimate and it is organized by multinational water companies. Turkish State wants to use these meetings as a propaganda of building new big dams. It will be also a step for water privitizations. We will discuss the global campaign against this illegitimate forum and shape the alternatives.

Speakers: Marco Iob, Italian Committee for World Water Contract Olivier Hoedeman, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) Ercan Ayboga, Keep Hasankeyf Alive Initiative (Turkey) Erkin Erdogan, Global Action Group (Turkey) Ingrid Spiller, Heinrich Boell Foundation Huseyin Yesil, TMMOB, Turkey Anil Naidoo, Blue Planet Project Danilo Urrea, Censat Agua Viva (FoE Colombia) Inga-Lena Wallin, Swedish public services union Kommunal

Chairperson: America Vera Zavala, ATTAC Sweden. (Swedish)

Co-organisers: Stop the Ilisu Dam Campaign, Global Action Group (Turkey), CEO (Netherlands), World Water Contract, TMMOB (Turkey), Heinrich Boll Stiftung, CeVi, Free Women?s Foundation (Netherlands), Aquasuav, Transnational Institute, France Libertè and others.

Assembly of Water Movements

Sunday 21 September 9:30-12:30 Venue: Möllevången - Moriskan

Speakers: Susan George, Transnational Institute Renato di Nicola, Italian Forum of Water Movements Gunilla Andersson, Swedish Network for Common Welfare Jean Luc Thouly, ACME, France Anil Naidoo (Blue Planet Project) and many others This assembly will be the launch of the first truly pan-European network of water activist groups, networks and movements. Among our goals are:
 Resisting the water privatisation push in Europe
 Halting the EU’s use of aid and trade policies to promote privatisation in the South
 Promoting the right to water, participatory public water management and public-public partnerships

Co-organisers: Transnational Institute, France Libertes, Swedish Network for Common Welfare, World Water Contract, Italian Forum of Movements on Water, Attac Germany, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), Berliner Wassertisch and many others.