This book is an inspiring read. It is based on extensive research and interviews with trade union- and water movement- activists . It shows that the water struggles and resistance to privatisation in several countries and for the human right to water and sanitation at EU level are part of a broader fight to move beyond capitalism. Critical but always sympathetic and engaged the book finds what joint campaigns of social movements can achieve. These will be valuable lessons in the years to come when we face the aftermath of the pandemic’s economic crisis of 2020 and we will demand the redistribution of wealth.

Jan Willem Goudriaan, The General Secretary of EPSU, Europe’s largest federation of public service trade unions

For decades, creeping privatization of water services has threatened the human right to water all over the world. This timely and impeccably researched book shows how European activists successfully challenged the giant water corporations in their own backyard, thereby advancing the human rights to water and sanitation everywhere. This is a story of hope, at a time when we all need it.

Maude Barlow, Author and Water Activist

<i>Fighting for Water</i> is a fascinating, exciting account of the struggle for publicly owned water. Bieler’s analysis of campaign victories in Italy, Greece, Ireland and at the European level is inspiring, highlighting the successful alliances that can be built between trade unions, environmental groups and citizens’ movements. This book is a huge contribution to understanding how we can take back our water as a commons, not a commodity – something that people across the world believe in.

Cat Hobbs, Founder and Director of We Own It