The Italian campaign against water privatisation - Forum Italiano dei Movimenti per l’Acqua - collected over a million signatures in 2 months in support of a demand for a referendum to prevent the privatisation of water services.The campaign is organised and supported by hundreds of organisations and bodies, including water operators, community and releigious organisations, and the Italian trade unions.
The campaign aims to block the proposed new law of the Berlusconi government which would force public authorities to use private water companies:
"Under the new law from 2012 water supplies must be managed exclusively by private companies or by mixed public-private enterprises where the private investor holds at least 40 per cent, and contracts must be awarded by tender. In addition local authorities with a stake in utilities listed on the stock exchange are asked to reduce their shareholding gradually to a maximum of 30 per cent by the end of 2015."
In addition to the referendum campaign, regional governments are pursuing court cases claiming that the law is unconstitutional:
"Local authorities across Italy immediately expressed their opposition to the changes and seven regions – Puglia, Liguria, Piemonte, Marche, Valle d’Aosta, Tuscany and the autonomous province of Trento – have appealed to the constitutional court against the law, claiming it violates regional autonomy. Meanwhile three referendum questions have been drawn up by eminent Italian jurists and deposited before the supreme court of cassation"
http://www.acquabenecomune.org/
Water, water everywhere… Laura Clarke 07/07/2010 http://www.wantedinrome.com/articles/complete_articles.php?id_art=1041