Most to propose Constitutional right to clean drinking water

The Most party announced today that it will propose an amendment to the Constitution establishing access to clean drinking water as a fundamental right of every citizen.

The proposal would also designate water resources as a public good to be managed by the state, while water supply services would be provided exclusively by public providers.

At a press conference, MP Zvonimir Troskot said that, following environmental crises in Lika, the Gacka Valley, the Zadar hinterland and Karlovac, Most had launched an initiative to elevate the right to clean drinking water to the highest legal level.

"Besides making it the protected right of every individual to clean, potable water, the proposal will also classify water as a common good resource that can only be managed by the state and that this service can never be privatized," Troskot said.

Constitutional law expert and university professor Robert Podolnjak noted that Most had proposed an almost identical constitutional amendment in 2019.

He recalled that the proposal had secured the required number of signatures from MPs and had been placed on the Croatian Parliament's agenda, but that no debate was ever held.

Podolnjak also pointed to neighboring Slovenia, which has already "institutionalized the right" to clean drinking water. He said Most believes there are good reasons for Croatia to follow suit, given the country's abundant water resources.