On February 13, 2011, the Berliners made history: they not only won the first Berlin referendum but also wrote a law to disclose the secret partial privatization agreements at the BWB. With 666,235 votes in favor of the referendum “We Berliners want our water back”, the political pressure was deployed to get back the shares in the Berliner Wasserbetriebe sold by the Berlin Senate to private companies in 1999, thus initiating the remunicipalisation that was carried out in 2013. “
But the money for the buyback loan does not come from the state budget, into which the 1999 sales price flowed. The Berlin water customers will pay off the loan by 2043. Gerlinde Schermer, a former SPD member who voted against privatization in parliament and fought with the Berlin water table to reverse the contracts, says: “The Berlin water table continues to advocate a clear focus on the common good with water and rejects any return on water prices for the state budget.
Therefore, the formula for calculating imputed interest must be changed in the Berlin Business Act. At the same time, it is important to understand the holistic nature of urban water management in order to achieve the climate goals. Rainwater, for example, could serve as a valuable resource for watering and maintaining Berlin’s street trees. The Berlin Water Council has developed concepts for this. “
Ulrike von Wiesenau: “The referendum had a pioneering effect on further direct democratic procedures and enlivened the political landscape sustainably: Not only the need to protect public utilities and infrastructures from privatization moved into the focus of the population; prevent further sellout of our commons. In times of the Corona crisis, it is once again becoming clear how vital a functioning community is. In this situation, the municipalities must be supported by the federal states and the federal government so that they are not driven into budget difficulties in which they have to privatize municipal businesses and facilities. “
How much the referendum won and the subsequent remunicipalisation made waves beyond Berlin, emphasizes Dorothea Härlin, co-founder of the Berlin water table: “Berlin – a communal water supply is possible!
The news not only thrilled the Berlin population but also encouraged water activists in many other cities to take their water utilities back into public hands. The path of privatization has already been stopped in over 300 cities worldwide. It goes on: since 2018, Berlin has been a Blue Community, an international initiative for the human right to water and basic sanitation, through a parliamentary resolution suggested by the Berlin Water Table. The corresponding UN resolution of 2010 can only become a reality if it is actually implemented locally.
The aim is for many citizens to actively participate in the realization of human rights and to be made aware of the time bomb that is ticking behind the global water crisis. The Berlin Water Table works together with other water activists so that this initiative is filled with life from below in Berlin. “
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