The Hotel House case

30.4.2009

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3491/09
by Umberto Guidoni (GUE/NGL)
to the Commission

The Hotel House apartment block in Porto Recanati (MC) is a 17-floor building with 480 apartments accommodating 2000 people, 90 % of whom of foreign descent and of 40 different nationalities; given that the overall population of Porto Recanati is of around 11 000, the tenants of Hotel House account for one fifth of the total population.

In recent months, owing to the debt accumulated with ‘Astea’ — the service company which manages the drinking water supply — by a small number of tenants, the supply of drinking water has been cut off several times. Astea has also threatened to suspend the water supply from 11 May unless the debt is paid off. The suspension is likely to concern all apartments, since so far there has been a single service contract for all 480 apartments.

It must be recognised that access to water and sanitary facilities is a basic human right and a prerequisite for the enjoyment of other rights.

Does the Commission not think it should ascertain with the Italian authorities whether the drinking water supply service is regular, given that water is a basic necessity which all European citizens should be guaranteed?

Does the Commission not consider that the decision taken by the service company to cut off the water supply is in breach of Article 34(3) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union with regard to housing assistance?

Does the Commission not consider that the action taken by the Municipality of Porto Recanati fails to comply with Parliament's requests in its Resolution P6_TA(2009)0137 on water, which ‘stresses the need to support local public authorities in their efforts to implement a democratic water management policy that is efficient, transparent, regulated and respectful of sustainable development objectives in order to meet the needs of communities’?

OJ C 189, 13/07/2010