Stop the EU’s Services Notification Procedure

We, representatives of European cities, civil society groups and trade unions, want to express our deep concern about the proposed Services Notification Procedure. Instead of reporting afterwards, new  rules and laws  would in the future have to be notified in advance and receive prior approval from the European Commission.

This would reduce space for progressive policies, including at local level. As stated in a September 2018 resolution by the city council of Amsterdam, the proposed Notification Procedure creates unnecessary delays and “seriously harms the autonomy of local governments and therefore poses a threat to the local democracy.” The proposal would create major new obstacles for progressive municipal policies, such as much-needed measures to protect affordable housing.

The proposed Procedure is disproportional and at odds with the subsidiarity principle as well as the obligation of the EU to respect regional and local self-government, as outlined in the Lisbon Treaty.

Cities have a crucial role to play in solving Europe’s social and environmental problems and in deepening democracy with active citizens’ engagement. The proposed Services Notification Procedure would restrict the democratic space of municipalities and is therefore completely unacceptable.

To sign the statement, use this online form - or send a message (name of organisation + country) to ceo[at]corporateeurope.org

Open letter with signatories (14/01 2019) [pdf]
La lettre en français (14/01 2019)
La carta en castellano (14/01 2019)

Updated list of signatories:
Municipal and regional party platforms
Barcelona en Comú, Catalonia, Spain
Catalunya en Comú, Catalonia, Spain
Citizens' Network of Holargos – Papagos, Greece
Comú de Lleida, Spain
Coordinadora de Zaragoza en Común, Spain
Esquerra Unida del País Valencià a Borriana, Spain
Ganemos Córdoba, Spain
Ganemos Jerez, Spain
Ganemos Tres Cantos (Madrid), Spain
GroenLinks Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Grup Municipal MÉS per Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
Grupo Municipal Onda Si Se Puede del Ayuntamiento de Onda Spain
Grupo Municipal Somos Oviedo/Uvieu, Ayunamento de Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
Grupo Municipal València en Comú del Ayuntamiento de València, Spain
Irabazi-Ganemos Eibar, Spain
Izquierda Unida-Los Verdes de Villaconejos, Madrid, Spain
Izquierda Unida, Villaluenga, Spain
Málaga Ahora, Spain
Participa Sevilla, Spain
Podemos-Cádiz, Spain
Podemos Sevilla, Spain
Reacciona Talaveruela, Spain
Rassemblement citoyen de la gauche et des écologistes, Grenoble, France
Som Gramenet, Catalonia
Somos Mieres, Spain
Unid@s por Tegueste, Sta., Cruz de Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain
Xixón Sí Puede, Spain

Mayors / local authorities (name of the mayor - Name of the local authority)
Raul San Juan Lopez, Alcalde de Ayuntamiento de Bustarviejo, Madrid, Spain
José María González - Alcalde de Cádiz, Spain
Ninna Hedeager Olsen, Mayor of Technical and Environmental Affairs, City of Copenhagen
Damien Carême - Maire de Grande Synthe, France
Jean-François CARON, Maire de Loos-en-Gohelle, France
Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert - Lyon 1er arrondissement, France
Jacqueline Belhomme - Maire de Malakoff, France
Pierre Aschieri - Maire de Mouans-Sartoux, France
Jacques Boutault - Paris 2e arrondissement, France

Organisations
3F Kastrup, Denmark
Action from Ireland (Afri)
Agrupación Vecinal de Bustarviejo, Spain
ACV-CSC, Belgium
AITEC, France
Alternativa3, Spain
Alternativa antimilitarista MOC, Canarias, Spain
Alternativa Republicana, Spain
Ander Europa, Belgium & The Netherlands
Antifascist action of Dionisos municipality, Attika, Greece
Asociación del Camp a la Taula, Spain
Associació Catalana en defensa de la sanitat pública, Spain
Associació de Micropobles de Catalunya, Spain
Asociación Canaria de Economía Alternativa, Spain
Associació pel canvi social pacífic i democràtic Proces Constituent, Spain
Associació Salut i Agroecologia (AsiA), Barcelona, Catalonia
Association Eau Publique Orge Essonne, France
L'association Open Atlas, France
Associazione Scelte Possibili, Italy
ATAC Bene Comune Roma, Italy
ATTAC Austria
ATTAC France
ATTAC Germany
ATTAC Italy
ATTAC Spain
ATTAC Torino, Italy
Audit Citoyen De La Dette En Belgique (ACIDE), Belgium
Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour
Austrian Trade Union Federation
Berliner Wassertisch, Germany
Both ENDS, The Netherlands
Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) / Friends of the Earth Germany
CADTM Europe
Campaign Against TCI (Trade and Investment Treaties), Catalonia
Campaña "No a los tratados de comercio e inversión", Spain
CartaCanta onlus, Italy
Casa delle sinistre Calolziocorte, Italy
Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO)
Citizens' Network of Holargos,Papagos, Greece
Cobas sindicat de comissions de base, Spain
Coalizione civica per Bologna, Italy
Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), Spain
Comitato Opzione Zero, Italy
Comitato Stop TTIP di Udine, Italy
Compartir Giovane Cuneo, Italy
Comunità Emmaus Ferrara, Italy
Confederación General del Trabajo de España (CGT)
Convergence nationale des collectifs de défense et de développement des services publics, France
Coordinamento Associazioni Lazio Mobilità Alternativa, Italy
Coordinamento Nord Sud del mondo, Italy
Coordination eau Ile-de-France, France
Confederación Intersindical, Spain
Corner House, United Kingdom
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
CGSP-ACOD – public sector trade union from Belgium
Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DIEM25)
DiEM25 Italy
Directorate of Global Justice, Barcelona, Spain
DEPANA (Lliga per a la Defensa del Patrimoni Natural), Spain
Eau Bien Commun, France
Ecological Network Greece
Ecologistas en Acción, Spain
Ecology Solidarity, Greece
Enginyeria Sense Fronteres, Spain
Equipo Xeral Campañas ECOAR))) Global
Entrepueblos/Entrepobles/Entrepobos/Herriartem Spain
EUGENT gUG European Association for Deceleration
European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH)
European Federation of Public Services Unions (EPSU)
EQUO, Spain
European Water Movement - Europe
EuSAIN (European Sanitation Initiative), Netherlands
EYATH Trade Union, Greece
Fairwatch, Italy
Federación Española de Ingeniería Sin Fronteras, Spain
Federation of Ecologists in Action of Catalonia
Financial Justice Ireland (formerly Debt & Development Coalition Ireland)
FNV Overheid, The Netherlands
Food & Water Europe
Forum Italiano dei Movimenti per l'Acqua, Italy
Freien Bäcker - Zeit für Verantwortung e.V., Germany
Friends of the Earth Europe
FSC-CCOO (Comisiones Obreras, Federation of Citizen Services), Spain
FSIE (Federation of Independent Trade Unions in Education), Romania
German NGO Forum Environment & Development
Global Justice Now, United Kingdom
GRAIN, Spain
Greenpeace EU
Grup de Científics i Tècnics per un Futur No Nuclear, Spain
Institute for Political Ecology, Croatia
Kölner Bündnis für gerechten Welthandel, Germany
La Taula de l'Aigua de Mollet, Spain
LEADER Local Action Group Southern Black Forest, Germany
Liberacitta Dinanza, Italy
LobbyControl, Germany
Management board of mPOWER
medicusmundi españa, Spain
Mouvement Ouvrier Chrétien, Belgium
Movimento Mira 2030, Italy
Moviment per l'Aigua Pública i Democràtica (MAPiD), Barcelona, Spain
Municipal Services Project, Canada
Naturefriends, Greece
New Economics Foundation, United Kingdom
NOAH (Friends of the Earth Denmark)
Obra Social Menorca, Spain
OCM Paracuellos, Spain
ODG - Debt Observatory on Globalisation (Barcelona, Spain)
Partito Umanista Italia
Per Un'altra Citta Laboratorio Politico, Italy
Platform London, United Kingdom
Potere al Popolo Ciampino, Italy
PowerShift e.V. , Germany
Public Services International
Recuperemos Ayamonte, Spain
Red de agua pública (RAP), Spain
Red de Municipios contra la Deuda Ilegítima y los Recortes,Valencia (España)
REDESSCAN (Red Canaria en defensa de los Servicios Sociales), Spain
REScoop.eu, the European federation of groups and cooperatives of citizens for renewable energy
Rete Antirazzista Catanese, Italy
Seeds Action Network, Germany
SEKES for public EYDAP, Athens, Greece
SETEM, Spain
SOLIDAR
Spinwatch, United Kingdom
SOSte to Nero, Greece
Stop TAFTA Luxembourg
Stop TTIP/CETA Bagnaria Arsa, Italy
Taula de l'aigua Terrassa, Spain
TransformDanmark, Denmark
Transform!, Italy
Transnational Institute (TNI)
TROCA- Plataforma por um Comércio Internacional Justo, Spain
Turin Committee of the Italian Water Forum, Italy
UNI EUROPA (European services workers union)
Unión de Sindicatos de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras en Andalucía, Spain
Unite Branch NW389 (Greater Manchester), United Kingdom
Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), Spain
ver.di Union (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft – United Services Union Germany)
WECF France
WECF International
We Own It, United Kingdom
Xarxa per la sobirania energètica, Catalunya, Spain
younion _ Die Daseinsgewerkschaft, Austria
 

City Councillors
Antonio Morollon Pardo, Aranjuez City Council, Spain
Morten Riis, Bornholms Regionskommune, Denmark
Gert Wahl, Hvidovre Kommune, Denmark
Benny Dall, Kolding Kommune, Denmark
Jakob Borgensgård, Vejen Kommune, Denmark
Leif Juhl, Holbæk Kommune, Denmark
Lene Fruelund, Silkeborg Kommune, Denmark
Ida Skov, Frederikshavn Kommune, Denmark
Karen Thestrup Clausen, Holbæk kommune, Denmark
Niels Erik Danielsen, Kalundborg, Denmark
Bente Ellebæk Borreskov, Lolland kommune, Denmark
Mogens Rerup, Haderslev Kommune, Denmark
Ivan Mott, Lejre kommune, Denmark
Mette Gerdøe-Frederiksen, Vordingborg Kommune, Denmark
Per Clausen Aalborg Kommune, Denmark
Sarah Nørris Esbjerg Kommune, Denmark
Jeanne Toxværd, Gentofte Kommune, Denmark
Bjørn Svensson, Fredensborg kommune, Denmark
Ditte Marie Thejsen, Odder kommune, Denmark
Helena Jørgensen, Helsingør Kommune, Denmark
Reza Javid, Odense Kommune, Denmark
Allan Berg Mortensen Helsingør Kommune, Denmark
Ole Wedel-Brandt, Ishøj Kommune, Denmark
Steen Andersen, Brøndby Kommune, Denmark
Jesper Kiel, Svendborg Kommune, Denmark
Louise Bilde Hvelplund, Hjørring kommune, Denmark
Niels Rolskov, Køge kommune, Denmark
Muhammad Ali Abbasi, Ballerup Kommune, Denmark
Dorthe Hecht Tårnby Kommune, Denmark
Henrik Kjær, Ringsted Kommune, Denmark
Clark Mills Pratt, Odsherred Kommune, Denmark
Marianne Dithmer, Herlev Kommune, Denmark
Thue Lundgaard Curry, Halsnæs kommune, Denmark
Stine Rahbek Pedersen, Ballerup, Denmark
Bodil Kvistgaard Olsen, Favrskov, Denmark
Øjvind Vilsholm, Furesø Kommune (pt. MF), Denmark
Rasmus Keis Neerbek, Allerød Kommune, Denmark
Lisbeth Heidemann Torfing, Horsens Kommune, Denmark
Sejer Folke Henriksen, Stevns kommune, Denmark
Peter Mikkelsen, Rødovre Kommune, Denmark
Trine Henriksen, Gladsaxe Kommune, Denmark
Maria Temponeras, Skanderborg, Denmark
Henrik Bang, Lyngby -Taarbæk, Denmark
Helge Bo Jensen, Albertslund kommune, Denmark
Ibrahim Benli, Herlev Kommune, Denmark
Emil Viskum, Høje Taastrup Kommune, Denmark
Jan Jespersen, Stevns kommune, Denmark
Thyge Enevoldsen, Frederiksberg kommune, Denmark
Hassan Nur Wardere, Københavns Kommune, Denmark
Jens Kjær Christensen, Københavns Kommune, Denmark
Charlotte Lund, Københavns Kommune, Denmark
Zenia Nørregaard, Københavns Kommune, Denmark
Karina Vestergaard Madsen, Københavns Kommune, Denmark
Ali Hansen, Københavns Kommune, Denmark
Gyda Heding, Københavns Kommune, Denmark
Knud Holt Nielsen, Københavns Kommune, Denmark
Gorm Anker Gunnarsen, Københavns Kommune, Denmark
Ulrik Kohl, Københavns Kommune, Denmark