WATER ABLAZE - Patagonia Sin Represas

In 2007, it had revenues of $47 billion and employed around
300,000 people. It is one of the largest water suppliers worldwide.
Between 2000 and 2003, the company was known as Vivendi
Environnement, having been spun off from the Vivendi conglomerate,
most of the rest of which became Vivendi. Prior to 1998, Vivendi was
known as Compagnie Générale des Eaux. The name “Veolia”, adopted
in April 2003, is derived from Aeolus, the keeper of the winds in
Greek mythology. On December 14, 1853, a water company named
Compagnie Générale des Eaux (CGE) was created by an imperial
decree of Napoleon III. In 1854, CGE obtained a concession in order
to supply water to the public in Lyon, serving in this capacity for
over a hundred years. In 1861, it obtained a 50-year concession with
the City of Paris (see: CGE). Criticism: Veolia, like other giant water
companies, has come in for some very harsh criticism. In 1999, e.g., a
consortium made up of RWE, Veolia and – temporarily – the Allianz
Insurance Company bought a 49∙9 per-cent share in the BWB (Berliner
Wasserbetriebe), the German capital’s municipal water company.
The federal state of Berlin retained a 50∙1 per-cent interest. Despite
their own minority interest, these giants were given managerial
control. An oppressive contract was negotiated, guaranteeing RWE/
Veolia a more than 8 per-cent annual rate of return over a 28-year
period – to the detriment of consumers! Likewise, the BWB is the 100
per-cent owner of the BWH, the internationally active Berlinwasser
Holding AG, which means that the citizens of Berlin are liable for the
consequences of the BWH’s financial activities.
w w w . v e o l i a . c o m / e n (English/French)
w w w . v e o l i a . d e (German)
w w w . b e r l i n e r - w a s s e r t i s c h . n e t (critical website)
w w w . c o r p o r a t e e u r o p e . o r g (English; search for report on Veolia)
Vivendi (France) (see: Veolia)
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