Calls for a roll call on the articles relating to water were submitted by KKE parliamentary representative Nikos Karatanasopoulos and PASOK-Movement for Change MPs M. Katrinis and Ev. Liakulis, in the context of the discussion of the draft law “On renaming the Energy Regulatory Authority into the Waste, Energy and Water Regulatory Authority and expanding its responsibilities for water supply services and urban waste management”.

The roll call is expected to take place at 19:00.

Earlier, Panagiotis Kappatos, a member of the National Democratic Party, stressed that nowhere in the bill is there anything the opposition says about water privatization.

For the first time, the draft law refers specifically to water utilities as public and municipal organizations, it does not refer to either the form of ownership or the share composition of water utilities in any of its articles, the new Regulatory Body has purely supervisory and advisory powers, while responsibility for regulating the cost of water remains with the ministers, and for this purpose they issue a decree, Mr. Kappatos said.

SYRIZA MP Andreas Xanthos said that “water privatization will bring new burdens and inequalities. With the bill, Mr. Xanthos said, the way is opened for the development of private commercial activity, which will lead to a significant increase in tariffs and a serious burden for citizens, farmers and small and medium-sized businesses.

SYRIZA MP D. Vitsas spoke about the draft law, a patchwork quilt of “photographic” provisions with a pronounced Russfetological character. You are paying some unpaid political bills to the clientele of your privileged party, that is, the financial oligarchy, and it is urgent to do this in the few weeks or months you have left to govern the country, Mr. Vitsas said.

KKE MP Christos Katsotis stressed that the bill “is designed to speed up the distribution of water and household waste among business groups. In addition, he noted, this is one of the obligatory conditions of the Recovery Fund, which must be implemented within the next six months.

PASOK-Change MP Dimitris Constantinopoulos said that water privatization raises questions of unconstitutionality “when decisions of the Council of State stipulate that supervision and public control are determined by the state and the ministry itself. After all, the public nature of water is inextricably linked with the mission of the state to protect human life,” he said.