Water and sanitation are a human right

Key points

In its response to the first successful European Citizens' Initiative "Water and sanitation are a human right! Water is a public good, not a commodity!", the Commission affirms the importance of the human right to water and sanitation and of water as a public good and fundamental value. According to the EESC public authorities must be in a position to exert an extensive control on the quality and efficiency of the services provided by water utilities. The EESC supports the Commission in its recognition that transparency has a key role to play. The EESC urges the European Commission to propose legislation establishing access to water and sanitation as a human right as set out by the United Nations, and to promote the provision of water and sanitation as vital public services for all.