Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt

We, representatives of European cities, civil society groups and trade unions, want to express our deep concern about the proposed Services Notification Procedure. Instead of reporting afterwards, new rules and laws would in the future have to be notified in advance and receive prior approval from the European Commission.

This would reduce space for progressive policies, including at local level. As stated in a September 2018 resolution by the city council of Amsterdam, the proposed Notification Procedure creates unnecessary delays and “seriously harms the autonomy of local governments and therefore poses a threat to the local democracy.” The proposal would create major new obstacles for progressive municipal policies, such as much-needed measures to protect affordable housing.

The proposed Procedure is disproportional and at odds with the subsidiarity principle as well as the obligation of the EU to respect regional and local self-government, as outlined in the Lisbon Treaty.

Cities have a crucial role to play in solving Europe’s social and environmental problems and in deepening democracy with active citizens’ engagement. The proposed Services Notification Procedure would restrict the democratic space of municipalities and is therefore completely unacceptable.

To sign the statement, use this online form - or send a message (name of organization + country) to ceo[at]corporateeurope.org

Signatories (14/11 2018)

Municipal and regional party platforms
Barcelona en Comú, Catalonia, Spain
Catalunya en Comú, Catalonia, Spain
Coordinadora de Zaragoza en Común, Spain
Ganemos Córdoba, Spain
Ganemos Jerez, Spain
Grupo Municipal Somos Oviedo/Uvieu, Ayunamento de Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
Grupo Municipal València en Comú del Ayuntamiento de València, Spain
Irabazi-Ganemos Eibar, Spain
Izquierda Unida-Los Verdes de Villaconejos, Madrid, Spain
Grup Municipal MÉS per Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
Participa Sevilla, Spain
Podemos-Cádiz, Spain
Reacciona Talaveruela, Spain
Rassemblement citoyen de la gauche et des écologistes, Grenoble, France
Som Gramenet, Catalonia
Somos Mieres, Spain
Xixón Sí Puede, Spain

Local authorities (name of the mayor - Name of the local authority)
José María González - Alcalde de Cádiz, Spain
Damien Carême - Maire de Grande Synthe, France
Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert - Lyon 1er arrondissement, France
Jacqueline Belhomme - Maire de Malakoff, France
Pierre Aschieri - Maire de Mouans-Sartoux, France

Organisations:
Action from Ireland (Afri)
ACV-CSC, Belgium
AITEC, France
Alternativa3, Spain
Alternativa antimilitarista MOC, Canarias, Spain
Ander Europa, Belgium & The Netherlands
Asociación Canaria de Economía Alternativa, Spain
ASiA- Associació Salut i Agroecologia of the Barcelona, Catalonia
L’association Open Atlas, France
ATTAC Austria
ATTAC France
ATTAC Germany
ATTAC Spain
Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour
Austrian Trade Union Federation
Both ENDS, The Netherlands
CADTM, Belgium
Campaign Against TCI (Trade and Investment Treaties), Catalonia
Campaña “No a los tratados de comercio e inversión”, Spain
Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), Spain
Confederación General del Trabajo de España (CGT)
Convergence nationale des collectifs de défense et de développement des services publics, France
Coordination eau Ile-de-France, France
Confederación Intersindical, Spain
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
Eau Bien Commun, France
Ecologistas en Acción (Spain)
Entrepueblos/Entrepobles/Entrepobos/Herriartem Spain
European Federation of Public Services Unions (EPSU)
EQUO, Spain
European Water Movement - Europe
EuSAIN (European Sanitation Initiative), Netherlands
EYATH Trade Union, Greece
Federación Española de Ingeniería Sin Fronteras, Spain
Federation of Ecologists in Action of Catalonia
Food & Water Europe
FSC-CCOO (Comisiones Obreras, Federation of Citizen Services), Spain
Global Justice Now, United Kingdom
La Taula de l’Aigua de Mollet, Spain
Mouvement Ouvrier Chrétien, Belgium
Moviment per l’Aigua Pública i Democràtica (MAPiD), Barcelona, Spain
Municipal Services Project, Canada
ODG - Debt Observatory in Globalisation (Barcelona, Spain)
RAP-Red de agua pública (España)
Red de Municipios contra la Deuda Ilegítima y los Recortes,Valencia (España)
REDESSCAN (Red Canaria en defensa de los Servicios Sociales), Spain
SETEM, Spain
SOSte to Nero, Greece
Taula de l’aigua Terrassa, Spain
Transnational Institute (TNI)
TROCA- Plataforma por um Comércio Internacional Justo, Spain
Unión de Sindicatos de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras en Andalucía, Spain
Unite Branch NW389 (Greater Manchester), United Kingdom
Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), Spain
WECF France
WECF International
We Own It, United Kingdom