News on privatization of public services around the world - by Public Services International
Debt sustainability and Financing for Development
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PSI organized a workshop on debt sustainability in Castries, St Lucia, with the participation of Jubilee USA network and Jubilee Caribbean, during which case studies were examined and the impact of the recent hurricane season was discussed. PSI affiliates in the Caribbean sub-region adopted a joint declaration on Debt Sustainability and Financing for Development in Castries, St Lucia on 5 July.
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“The world is off-track in terms of achieving sustainable development and fundamental policy changes are necessary to unleash the transformative potential of the SDGs.” This is the main message of the Spotlight Report 2018, the most comprehensive independent assessment of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The report was launched on the opening day of the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) at the United Nations in New York by a global coalition of civil society organizations and trade unions.
PSI will produce a special edition of Privatization Watch on the HLPF outcomes including a summary of the work PSI and partners have done at the HLPF and the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
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Australia
New South Wales authorities are revaluating their policy toward ‘public private partnerships.’ “NSW is worried that it won't find enough contractors to build some $80 billion of infrastructure over the next four years if it does not better manage construction risk and break contracts into smaller sizes, giving smaller companies an opportunity to compete against bigger companies. The average size of new social infrastructure projects undertaken as public-private partnerships has more than doubled in the five years to 2015 to about $753 million compared with the five-year period to 2010, according to Allens. Some of the PPPs have also been controversial, such as Maitland Hospital, which will now be built by the government following opposition to the hospital's privatization. Mr. Donnelly said governments needed to better plan PPP as the size of projects increased, and be careful about rushing proposals into the market to meet political timetables.”
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India
Julie Snorek of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, a researcher for the Environmental Justice Atlas, has helped map out the world’s top ten environmental justice battles, including a conflict involving waste privatization in Delhi, where “middle class residents and informal recyclers joined together to oppose the privatization of waste management and the resulting introduction of incineration.” The Global Alliance of Waste Pickers defends the informal recycling sector in more than 28 countries.
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Indonesia
The Coalition of Jakarta Residents Opposed to Water Privatization (KMMSAJ) has submitted to the Central Jakarta District Court a counter memorandum to the judicial review on the water privatization case filed by the Finance Ministry. “‘The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of civil society. We're very disappointed that the Finance Ministry still cannot accept it,’ the plaintiffs' representative, Nurhidayah, said on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com. Through the judicial review, the Finance Ministry is attempting to challenge the Supreme Court's decision.”
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Vietnam
The European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Area, which is expected to be signed this year, could bring a wave of privatizations. “Vietnamese companies should also be aware of the challenges brought about by free trade agreements, and especially the EVFTA. These are related to higher requirements from the EU market in terms of transparency and competition, both for private and state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The FTA is not necessarily seeking complete privatization, but rather the opening up of those economic sectors where SOEs are present. Vietnamese enterprises may expect to see an impact from this process, provided that the FTA promotes reforms in public procurement.”
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Vietnam
The government has raised private capital requirements for ‘public-private partnerships’ from 15% to 20% of equity. “The Vietnamese government is encouraging PPP investments in areas such as transportation, power generation and transmission, public utilities, social infrastructure, commercial infrastructure and agricultural and rural development. Other sub-sectors can also be targeted under the prime minister’s discretion.”
Full Bulletin can be down loaded at http://campaigns.world-psi.org/t/ViewEmail/r/67F2B1FC9E77CD7D2540EF23F30FEDED/20BCEE507284978AFCACEB58A033025D
