The Right2Water campaign has claimed an “undeniable success” after gathering almost two million signatures across 28 EU member states on a petition demanding that water and sanitation be treated as human rights, and calling on the EU to introduce measures to prevent privatisation.

The campaign, which is supported by IMPACT, is now demanding that the European Commission implements legislation to make the right to water and sanitation a human right.

Finland, Lithuania, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain all exceeded the minimum number of signatures required under the European Citizens Initiative (ECI), which requires the Commission to consider issues that attract over a million signatures.

Right2Water said it now expects the European Commission to listen to the voice of Europe’s people and “make the human right to water and sanitation a reality for all.” The trade union-led campaign intends to submit its validated statement of support on 10^th December, which is world human rights day.

The ECI was introduced under the Nice Treaty. The Right2Water campaign was led by the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) with the support of trade unions and civil society groups like the European Anti Poverty Network and the European Environmental Bureau.