The deputy groups of two opposition and two coalition parties have submitted to the National Assembly a proposal for including the right to access to drinking water into Constitution, thus making water and access to it general basic and constitutional right for everybody. MP Alenka Bratušek from ZaAB party hopes that the initiative for including this right to water will be supported by other parties as well.

Marjana Kotnik Poropat (DeSUS) explained that in compliance with the valid legislation drinking water must be accessible to all. But as laws can change rather quickly, the right to water should be written in the Constitution: laws can be changed with regular majority of deputy votes, while constitutional changes require two-thirds majority which is much more difficult to achieve.

"Since Slovenia is very rich in water resources, in a couple of years the pressure for privatisation of these will grow. If the fiscal rule was added to the Constitution, I see no reason why right to drinking water should not be added, and thus we would get at least one safeguard," said the environmentalist Anton Komat, and he also warned against awarding concessions for water exploitation.

Gregor Cerar, MMC,
Translated by G. K.