Water Supply 80% of people in Serbia have access to the water supply system. 50% of that water is not microbiologically clean. Water expenditure The Water Law has defined water as a public good, owned by the state. This changed in 2016 when the term ‘public good’ was changed to the term ‘natural resource.’ Although natural resour - ces are owned by the Republic of Serbia, it is po- ssible to make concession agreements for them, or for exploitation rights, i.e. privatisation. WATER AS A COMMON GOOD Water as a public good in the constitution of Slovenia In November 2016 after politi- cal struggles, Slovenia decla- red drinking water a basic human right in constitution; drinkable water was deemed a public good managed exclusi- vely by the State. Slovenia thus became the second European Union member state to put the right to water into its constitu- tion, folowing Slovakia. Conflicts in Bolivia and a resolution Financial aid to Bolivia by the World Bank was conditioned upon the privatisation of water resources, which the Bolivian government ac- cepted in 1999. The concession inc- luded exploitation of all water reso- urces. In less than a year the price rose by 400%, causing mass prote- sts. In 2002 people managed to return water to public possession and to change the constitution to prevent future privatisations. The first successful citizens’ initiative The European Citizens’ Initiative performed the first successful inter- national action against the privati- sation of water called ‘Water is a human right.’ The organisers de- manded the cancellation of sales of public water supply entreprises and collected a million signatures from all around Europe. The initiative su- cceeded in excluding the water de- livery and water supply manage- ment systems from the European Commission liberalisation policy. Paris, France Manila, Philippines Berlin, Germany Tallinn, Estonia 1985. 1990. 1995. 2000. 2005. in 25 years the price jumped by 265% United Kingdom over 60% of the water supply was given to concession arrange- ment. Private compa- nies sued the State for the financial loss. They claimed 1.2 billi- on dollars. Budapest, Hungary after citizens’ compla- ints, in 2012 the water supply was remunici- palised. Albanija the price increased by 100%, the con- tract was termina- ted after 5 years. Argentina after privatisation, the price increased by 50%, inves- tments in the infrastructure were missing, companies profited up to 150% and for the poorest the service was terminated. Sofia, Bulgaria price increased by 25%, there were no investments (losses remained at 60% even 12 years after the privatisation). Prague, Czechia Yerevan, Armenia price of the cubic meter of water jumped by 560% Bolivia The price of drin - king water increa- sed for 400%, the contract was termi - nated after armed conflicts of citizens with the police. The strategy for Water Management by 2034 pre- dicts a leveling of prices for individuals and legal entities to 165 RSD for the purpose of ‘indepen - dence’ of the water sector, imposed by the World Bank. This leads to a significant price increase for households, but not for companies. Strategy for water management Changes of the Water Law Situation in Serbia Foreign experiences Alternatives & Recommendations Management and distribution of water is not intended to be a profita- ble activity, but to meet the basic needs of the people. Therefore, it sho- uldn’t be treated as a commodity and the price should not be directed by the market. Water supply entreprises should be registered as nonprofit units and exempt from paying value added tax. WATER≠COMMODITY Privatisation of water supply around the world Niš 58 rsd/m³ 165 rsd/m³ Belgrade 79 rsd/m³ 165 rsd/m³ Novi Sad 89 rsd/m³ 165 rsd/m³ Price change in the households Price change in the economy 50% 0% -50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300% Niš 133 rsd/m³ 165 rsd/m³ Belgrade 144 rsd/m³ 165 rsd/m³ Novi Sad 209 rsd/m³ 165 rsd/m³ Remunicipalisation European cities that returned water supply to municipal authorities Democratic management – transparent reporting on the work of public utility entreprises + local community supervision – decentralised management and decision-making – participatory management of the water supply entreprises – management and distributi- on of water for meeting the basic accessibility needs of the population – implementation of educatio- nal programes that promote water consumption reduction For common needs Common property – amelioration of the existing public infrastructure – prevention of privatisation and public-private partnerships rela- ted to water supply – return of all the concessioned water sources to public property 100 50 45% 25% 30% The average daily water consumption per person in Serbia amounts to 350l. Of the total amount of water production, households use 45%, industry and public spending use 25%, and the remaining 30% is spent on the losses durgin the production. Stuttgart Paris Lyon Nice Rennes Bordeaux Marseilles Barcelona Valladolid Budapest Toulouse Seville Grenoble Napoli Sofia Zajedničko.org is a network of organisations, initiatives and individuals who study, preserve and improve the common good in legal, econo- mic and organisational terms through research, public advocacy and policy development as well as through organisation of various educa- tional and informative programme.