Berlin, Germany: Berliners defy government and win water remunicipalisation
In 1999 a small group of Berliners found out that almost 50% of shares in the Berlin Water Works had been covertly sold to Veolia and RWE as part of a public-private partnership deal. After demanding a referendum so that citizens could vote to see the secret contract, the Berlin city government felt under so much pressure it bought back the shares and remunicipalized the city’s water provision.
