Catastroika Page #4

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...the water services

are privatised.

We know very well that senior

executives of Suez and Veolia...

...are executives

and consultants of the IMF.

We know very well that

executives of Suez and Veolia...

...are related to the ECB,

that in the European Parliament

many people are paid to lobby...

...and promote the interests of

these multinational companies,

that people from these

companies join governments...

...and when these governments go

they return to the companies.

In Greece, the Papandreou

government appoints...

...as CEO of the public water

company a former executive of Veolia.

Nikos Bardis,

who promoted privatisation...

...on behalf of the french

multinational company,

now characterises Greece

a stronghold of the Soviet Union.

However, privatisation plans didn't

start at the era of the Troika.

The fire sale of the water

network of Athens and Thessaloniki...

...begun during Simitis' government,

when the networks went public.

Within a decade,

bills rose more that 200%,

whereas services did not improve

by 200%, they got much worse.

In 2008, the New Democracy party

restarted the privatisation process...

...and three joint ventures

prepared for battle.

There was the Suez group

with Ellaktor,

there was Veolia

with the Marfin group,

and there was the spanish Aqualia

with GEK-Terna.

Suez executives visited the public

water company's buildings.

I do not know what was discussed

behind closed doors.

What we do know is

that these companies...

...and Suez in particular...

...have been accused abroad...

...for bribing public servants

and politicians...

...in countries

of the civilised West.

If something like that

happened elsewhere...

...it is very likely that it will also

happen in Greece.

-Elections have interrupted

or temporarily postponed...

...the privatisation course

of the Thessaloniki water company.

If you get elected, will you

continue the privatisation process,

or you disagree

with privatisation?

-We are against water privatisation.

This was another unfulfilled campaign

promise of the PASOK government.

After the elections,

the government continued...

with the privatisation plans of

two profitable enterprises:

the Athens and the Thessaloniki

water companies.

The main argument

of the government...

...and the companies that are

after the water resources...

...is that they are not going to

buy our rivers, our springs;

that they are not going to

take our networks and leave.

The networks stay here.

Just as the Acropolis stays here.

They are only going

to take over the management,

the maintenance, the distribution,

the billing policy.

What these privatisation advocates

fail to mention is that the cost...

...of the replacement of the network

will still be paid by the citizens.

Therefore, the companies have no

motive to maintain this network.

Insufficient maintenance means

profit for the private company;

infrastructure destruction means

replacement by the greek citizens.

The profit goes

to the private company,

the damage is inflicted upon

the greek taxpayer.

Like a sorcerer's apprentice,

Europe will pay for the privatisation

of the infrastures.

The market forces, however,

will show their true face...

...even in the birthplace

of neoliberalism, the USA.

Towards the end of the '90s...

...California deregulates

the electricity market.

But the deregulation civilisation...

...is lost along with electricity power.

The power companies can increase

the wholesale price uncontrollably.

In order to achieve this,

they develop complex fraud

strategies with code names.

The companies even stop

producing electricity...

...to create shortages and increase

the kilowatt hour price.

-Las Vegas Cogen, this is Rich.

-Hey Rich. This is Bill up at Enron.

This is gonna be a word

of mouth kind of thing.

We want you guys

to get a little creative...

...and come up with

a reason to go down.

Ok, so we're just coming down

for some maintenance.

-So the rumor's true?

They're f***ing taking all the

money back from you guys?

All the money you guys stole from

poor grandmonthers in California?

-Yeah, granma Millie man.

-Now she wants her f***ing money

back for all that power...

...jammed right up her ass for

f***in' 250 dollars a megawatt hour.

In California, citizens pay

the cost of the experiment,

when market forces leave millions

of them literally in the dark.

The deregulation of the energy

market in California...

...was imposed under huge

pressure by big businesses.

But even they suffered losses

by the deregulation.

As the retail prices

could not follow...

...the mad speculative game

of the wholesale prices,

the system begun to collapse.

Europe will experience

its own dark days...

...due to the deregulation and

privatisation of the energy market.

The deregulation starts

with the Maastricht Treaty...

...when the EU promises improvement

of services and price decrease.

Until 2006, no private company

invested in electricity.

This is basic public infrastructure,

it demands major capital

and the return is slow.

There is no easy and quick profit

for the private companies.

Therefore, gradually,

from 2000 to 2006,

in order for the market

to attract private investors,

the consumption bills

started to rise.

The taxpayers do not just pay

more expensive bills.

Without knowing it, they subsidize

the private energy producers.

Mytilinaios owns Aloumina

and Latsis the oil refineries.

They needed electricity...

...so they created power production

units for their own companies.

However, they realised that it is less

profitable to consume their own power.

So, they sold their electricity

to the public power company...

...for a 100 euros per

megawatt hour wholesale,

while the public power company sold

electricity to them...

...and to other industrialists

for 43 euros.

In the case of photovoltaic power,

the public company buys it at 51 cents,

while it sells it for 11 cents

per kilowatt hour.

Due to the constant increase

of the bills, private companies...

... realise they can profit also

from electricity provision.

Hellas. The no1 private

power company is here.

Dr. Lampros the rheumatologist

and Mrs. Fotini...

...changed power company

without changing their meter.

So, at some point, there appeared

private electricity providers.

Provider simply means middleman.

They sold plain air.

With a share capital of 60,000 euros,

a very small amount,

one could get a license

to provide electricity.

A company that produces electricity

via renewable sources.

Where did they get the renewable

energy they advertised?

From the public power company.

At first, private companies

had to guarantee...

...that they had the electricity

they promised to sell.

But the EU released them

from this obligation.

They did not have to guarantee...

...that they had

what they intended to sell!

The greek regulatory authority

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