Numerous examples from throughout the world reveal a pattern of gross negligence, failed expectations, and broken promises on the part of corporate giants like Suez, Vivendi and RWE/Thames Water. In response to this reality, campaigners demand a u-turn in the E.U.'s current approach within international trade negotiations and development aid spending.

The CEO report outlines how the European Union is aggressively promoting the narrow commercial interests of E.U.-based water
corporations in negotiations currently underway in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The E.U. has asked 72 WTO member states, including
many developing countries, to open-up water delivery and waste water management to international competition. Apart from helping private
water corporations expand, bringing water supply under the disciplines of the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) may effectively make privatisation irreversible. The European Commission, in an attempt to steer free of public opposition in Europe, has recently announced that the E.U. does not intend to make any (additional) GATS commitments itself in public service sectors like culture, education, health and water.

No less hypocritical is the European Union's development aid spending on water in developing countries, which effectively subsidises the E.U.-based water corporations. Rather than supporting water infrastructure improvements, the aid budgets primarily go to "administrative
restructuring" and other costs related to introducing privatisation programmes. The E.U.'s Water Initiative, presented last August at the
Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), aims to boost private sector involvement through subsidised Public-Private
Partnerships.