WRITTEN QUESTION E-1348/03 by Bill Newton Dunn (ELDR) to the Commission. GATS and privatisation of water services.
Date: 2003-04-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: GATS, cooperation policy, developing countries, drinking water, environmental policy, privatisation, provision of services, public sector, water management, water supply

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Official Journal of the European Union

EN

20.3.2004

(2004/C 70 E/040)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1255/03

by Hanja Maij-Weggen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 April 2003)

Subject: Human rights in Vietnam

Is the Commission aware of the list of political prisoners in Vietnam drawn up by the Liberty Flame
Foundation?

Is the Commission aware of the oppression of political dissidents by the Vietnamese Communist Party in
Hanoi and, in particular, the recent arrest and imprisonment of young dissidents who have criticised the
party on the Internet, for example the attorney Le Chi Quang, the journalist Nguyen Vu Binh and Dr Pham
Hong Son, and dissidents who founded the Democratic Party, such as former colonel Pham Que Duong,
Tran Khue, the journalist Ho Thu and the writer Tran Dung Tien?

Is the Commission prepared to take action to promote freedom of opinion and democracy in Vietnam?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(8 May 2003)

The Commission would like to confirm to the Honourable Member that it is well aware of the list of
prisoners of conscience established by the Liberty Flame Foundation and of the individual cases referred to
in the question.

The Commission’s policy towards Vietnam is to encourage and support continued progress on human
rights and democratisation, and to raise concerns where abuses occur or were a deterioration in the
situation becomes evident. The Commission works closely with the Member States in monitoring human
rights developments in the country and participates in all Union démarches to the Government of Vietnam
on human rights issues, including those pertaining to the situation of Persons of Concern.

The Commission shares the concerns expressed by the United Nations Human Rights Committee regarding
the shortcomings of the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
in Vietnam. Extensive limitations on the right of freedom of expression in the media have been reported
which are worrying and incompatible with Article 19 of the Covenant. The Commission regrets that the
situation seems to have worsened during 2002. Moreover, the absence of specific legislation on political
parties and the fact that only the Communist Party is permitted remains of concern.

The Union, Commission and Member States, have repeatedly urged the Government of Vietnam to
strengthen its respect for political and religious freedoms, to further strengthen economic and social
freedoms and to create a legal framework for a supportive environment to allow the development of a
strengthened civil society, from which Vietnam would greatly benefit. Commission and Member states
have expressed these requests in their joint declaration at the Consultative Group meeting in Hanoi in
December 2002.

The Commission will continue to follow closely the human rights situation in Vietnam, together with the
Diplomatic Missions of the Member States in Vietnam, and take appropriate action.

(2004/C 70 E/041)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1348/03

by Bill Newton Dunn (ELDR) to the Commission

Subject: GATS and privatisation of water services

(10 April 2003)

The EU is now targeting 109 poorer countries with ‘requests’ to privatise their water services.

One problem with external corporations providing water services in developing countries is that this
essential service is an important stage of development in a country, and one of the key indications of a

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decent government. There is therefore often great opposition, sometimes violent, to privatisation of water,
which would be an irrevocable commitment.

If some of these countries are to open up their public services to overseas corporations, are they being
given the best possible advice about how to introduce safeguards so that their services are not primarily
run for profit?

And can the Commission give an example of where privatisation of water in a developing country has
proved to be beneficial?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(23 May 2003)

The Community’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) requests have been submitted to 109
World Trade Organisation (WTO) partners in July 2002. Of these 109 WTO members, the Community
has requested commitments for environmental services from 54 developing countries and transition
economies. The Community’s requests on environmental services do also cover water collection,
purification and distribution services, together with waste water management services.

In this context, the Commission is of the view that the primary responsibility for ensuring that access to
water and waste water services for all parts of the population in an efficient, and equitable manner rests
with governments. In many cases, the provision of these services will be done by the public sector. It is
important to clarify that the Community’s requests do not ask the privatisation of public undertakings, and
do not intend to push governments into that direction.

The Commission agrees with the Honourable Member that an effective and appropriate regulatory
framework is key to providing water related services, in particular when governments decide to involve the
private sector in the provision of essential services such as water distribution.

The Commission is, however, of the view that involving the private sector in efforts, together with
government and civil society,
to improve water and sanitation services in particular in developing
countries, and to strengthen investment and management capabilities, is one possibility to improve the
provision of these services. However, it is clear that before deciding on a particular solution (including
those involving the private sector) there is a need to objectively examine all the options, in order to select
the most appropriate one, and to put in place adequate regulatory frameworks and establish monitoring
mechanisms to ensure the protection of public interest. Liberalisation of trade in water related services in
the context of WTO could be used as an instrument to facilitate infrastructure investments, strengthen
water management capabilities and foster technological development, taking into account developing
countries’ administrative capacities and regulatory framework.

In the end, it is up to each government to decide upon its objectives and how it wants to achieve them,
and the Community will not try, via its GATS requests, to influence these policy choices.

The Community is,
in the context of its development cooperation programmes, actively supporting
developing countries in the improvement, and reform, of their water distribution and waste water
management. The Commission has for example proposed the establishment of a European Union Water
Fund, with a budget of EUR 1 billion, to help give people in the 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)
signatory countries to the Cotonou Agreement access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

With regard to experiences of individual countries in the reform of the water sector, there is a wide range
of very useful information available, in particular from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) which has worked intensively in this area, as well as donors such as the worldbank
which have cooperated with individual beneficiary countries in the reform of the water sector.