Water BERLIN
citizens called to express opinions on the "secrets" of privatization. The consultation, sponsored by the Water Table in Berlin, points to the total ripubblicizzazione. The SPD, which voted in '99 with the CDU to open to individuals, now regrets: "It is stato un fallimento»
Oggi i berlinesi sono chiamati a pronunciarsi in un referendum su una proposta di legge che, se approvata, obbligherebbe l'amministrazione della città a pubblicare tutti i contratti e le intese connesse alla privatizzazione dell'acqua, e comporterebbe l'annullamento di ogni patto segreto.
Nel 1999 Berlino, retta allora da una grande coalizione tra Cdu e Spd e disperatamente indebitata, vendette il 49% delle sue Wasserbetriebe a Veolia e a Rwe (il gigante dell'energia Rheinische Elekrizitätswerke). È stato un pessimo affare. Ai partner privati venivano garantiti utili assai lucrativi. Dal 1999 il prezzo dell'acqua è aumentato del 35%, il doppio della media in Germania. Anche l'amministrazione Berlin admits that the town pay for the water between 15 and 20% more than in other comparable cities.
civic initiative that has promoted the referendum, the Berliner Wassertisch (Berlin water table), would completely re-communalization water supply and sewage treatment - "we Berliners But I want our water," they say - but the construction legal status of the privatized company did not allow a direct question about his wound. We are therefore focused on only one point of the confidentiality of the contracts, aiming to gain by publishing them on grounds of invalidity to allow it to challenge or good arguments for lowering the price of re-communalization.
In October 2010, when the initiative had already collected 280,887 valid signatures on the proposal for referendum (it would be enough to promote it 172 000), the daily Tageszeitung put in the secret network contract of sale and some outbuildings, received from an anonymous informant.
As the oxen had already fled the barn, Nov. 10, a day after the official proclamation of the referendum, the Senate also has published 700 pages of contracts on its website, with the consent of the private shareholders Veolia and RWE. Investors had nothing to lose, since the scandalous clauses guaranteed profits were already on the square. Under those clauses Berlin collects only 35% of trading profits, although owning 50.1% of the shares.
Meanwhile, the Senate, a majority of red-red between Social Democrats and the Socialists Linke, had redrafted the law on 'free access to information. " The version in force since July, allows citizens, despite many exceptions, to inspect the records of public administration, theoretically those relating to utilities, "provided that the same companies acquiesce." There is an obligation to publish only when the public interest "substantially prevail" on the right of enterprises to privacy. It is rather a law to protect the company's discretion, but the Senate now gives the "merit" of pubblicazione dei contratti.
Come che sia la Spd del borgomastro Klaus Wowereit, assecondata dai socialisti della Linke (che col loro assessore all'economia Harald Wolf hanno fatto una pessima figura come amministratori della status quo), ritengono «superato» dai fatti il quesito del referendum, visto che i contratti sono già di pubblico dominio. Raccomandano conto di votare no, perché ritengono «incostituzionale» la proposta di legge nella parte che annulla intese sottratte alla pubblicazione (interferirebbe con le norme generali a tutela della proprietà privata).
La speranza del senato è che il referendum non raggiunga il quorum: per vincere occorre che il quesito sia approvato dalla maggioranza dei votanti and going to vote for at least a quarter of voters, or 617,000 Berliners.
However, the Social Democrats, who in 1999 also took the privatization (as opposed socialists and greens), you now say sorry, "In hindsight, the partial privatization was a mistake, as the agreement on the confidentiality of contacts." Its reporting to share the goals of the initiators of the referendum: the essential services "must focus on public interests, and not for private profit." The wind has changed, no one is more enchanted by the amazing plans for privatization as in the 90s. Politicians in Berlin would have repented, though the money to buy back Wasserbetriebe there are not. However, I ask that citizens not disturb the maneuver with "unnecessary" referendum.
The promoters argue that it is not certain that all arrangements have already been published. They ask, however, attest to the interest of the citizens to re-communalization with a massive participation. If politicians really want to renegotiate the price of water, as they promise, and maybe buy back the shares were sold to individuals without being fleeced, each was expressed in the referendum will strengthen them.
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