The City of Water Returns: The Trajectory of the Re-publication of the Paris Municipal Waterworks (2010)

The City of Water Returns: The Trajectory of the Re-publication of the Paris Municipal Waterworks (2010)

In January 2010, the City of Paris re-publicized its water services after 25 years of outsourcing to private companies. This re-publication was driven by various factors, including cost reduction, improved transparency, and increased citizen participation.

The City of Paris originally outsourced the management of its water services to Veolia and Suez in 1985. Veolia is one of the world's largest water treatment and environmental companies, and Suez is also a major global water and waste management company. For many years, both companies operated the water utility in Paris, but the opacity of the contracts and the increasing costs had become problematic. In 2008, the Paris City Council officially decided to re-publicize the project. In January 2010, the newly established public company "Eau de Paris" began operation.

The main objectives of the re-publicization were to reduce costs and improve efficiency, increase transparency and accountability, promote citizen participation, and promote international solidarity and cooperation. In 2011, water rates were reduced by 8 percent as a result of the elimination of dividends to private companies and administrative costs. The public disclosure of financial information on the operation of the water system has also strengthened accountability to the public. In addition, Eau de Paris has implemented participatory governance by including representatives of citizens, labor unions, and NGOs on its board of directors. Internationally, Eau de Paris is developing solidarity activities in the water sector through cooperation with Morocco, Mauritania, Cambodia, and other countries.

Since its re-publication, Eau de Paris has achieved successes such as reduced rates and improved quality of service, and in 2017 was awarded the United Nations Public Service Award. This success has influenced not only the city of Paris, but also cities around the world, accelerating the trend away from private outsourcing of public services. In France, 106 water services were re-privatized between 2002 and 2017, and the trend is spreading to other countries.

[Related Information.
Veolia is one of the world's largest water treatment and environmental services companies, based in France, and involved in water and wastewater, energy, and waste management worldwide.
Suez is a French multinational with strengths in water treatment and resource recycling, and was once a major waterworks operator, with numerous projects in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

[References and Sources.
- Eau de Paris Official FAQ
- Remunicipalisation of Water Utilities" report
- Report by Anne Le Strat
- Transnational Institute "Here to Stay" report