In our Civil Initiative for Slovenia and Freedom we are aware that the economy needs water and we do not object. But since it is a rare (scarce) natural resource and therefore attractive to the market commodity and large corporations, it was necessary to protect drinking water. So now the Constitution is amended and declares that every citizen in Slovenia has a fundamental right to drinkable water. These mean that Slovenia gives priority to supply of drinking water to the people before of economy (market). Water resources are primary used to supply citizens and households with potable water and in this sense are not a market commodity and can never be privatized. Water resources are public good, managed, cared and supervised by the state. The supply of drinking water has absolute priority over economic and other exploitation. This means that in the event that there is a lack of water supply, citizens have a primary and durable priority over a commercial activity. In the end however, will be the supply of drinking water and water infrastructure withdrawn from the market and be carried out only as a non-profit public service, which can be performed only by a 100% publicly owned enterprises.
70th (a) Article of the Constitution
Translation is not official
(Right to drinking water)
Everyone has the right to drinkable water.
Water resources are public good managed by the state.
Water resources serve primarily as the sustainable supply of drinkable water to the public and to households and in this part are not treated as a market commodity.
Drinking water supplied to the public and to households is provided by the state through local communities direct and non-profit.
Meaning of Article 70.a (This is not an official interpretation of Article)
Everyone has the right to drinkable water.
Proposed first paragraphs of Article 70.a “Everyone has the right to safe drinkable water” obligates the State and indirectly municipalities that in accordance with the possibilities (public water supply, village water supply, self-sufficiency, driveway drinking water …) is each inhabitant of Slovenia provided with drinkable water, therefore quantitatively hygienic water which is essential to our lives.
Even if the provision of drinkable water is formulated as a human right, that does not mean that it is mandatory to provide it in the areas where it is sensible only self-sufficiency of the population with drinkable water, especially in the remote areas and isolated hamlets and on isolated farms, where public supply of the drinkable water is not possible.
Water resources are public good managed by the state.
Amendment of Constitution declares that all water resources, even those that are not yet in the active use, are protected from any potential aspirations to be privatized or owned. Therefore the rights of ownerships to all water resources property cannot be obtained, this also applies to the state in a sense that government cannot for any reasons, such as financial crisis, sell water resources. In addition water resources, which will be in future built or artificially created are protected. Due to the increasing demand for water supply in the future there will be creating of the artificial lakes and other built reservoirs for the drinkable water.
Our civil initiative motto is: Without color, without taste and without owner, water is freedom.
Water resources serve primarily as the sustainable supply of drinkable water to the public and to households and in this part are not treated as a market commodity
Supplying water to the population will be an absolute priority, higher than the economic or any other water resource utilization. In case of water crisis or drought, economic water resource utilization will be limited or prohibited in order to provide potable water for the population and households. Supplying water to the population will be an absolute priority, higher than the economic or any other water resource utilization. In case of water crisis or drought, economic water resource utilization will be limited or prohibited in order to provide potable water for the population and households.
The amendment also stipulates that water resources are sustainably intended for public water supply. The state will be obligated (using an independent public supervisor) to monitor the condition of groundwater and all other water resources, prevent and diminish water pollution, encourage sustainable water usage, protect the aquatic environment and take preventive measures, all with the intention of providing enough groundwater to supply citizens and when possible as a commercialised supply.
Drinking water supplied to the public and to households is provided by the state through local communities direct and non-profit
Public water supply will be provided/guaranteed directly by a non-profit public service. Which means that water supply will not be a marketable commodity and will be exempt from market regulations and the EU internal market (space). It also means that public water supply service will not be executed through concessions and private undertaking (or a public-private partnership) but will be 100 % publicly owned, without the possibility to be privatized at any time or to run according to the rules of the open market. The purpose of the service being executed by a publicly owned non-profit provider is that the supply price can then be regulated so that the funds accumulated will cover the supply execution itself and any necessary service development investments, any excess means (funds) will only be utilized for water supply intentions (e.g. the means/profits from the water supply service will not be allowed to be at the disposal of any private owners to be invested or used for any other purposes.).
Our video: Water into Constitution
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