 1.5 million Europeans have signed a petition calling for a human right to water and sanitation. This is the first European citizens initiative to cross the critical threshold of 1 million signatures and secure the required support in more than seven countries. But isn't water already a human right? In 2010 the UN explicitly recognised the right to safe water and sanitation. But the citizens initiative isn't just about the right to water, it's also about blocking what some see as a drive for water privatisation. For instance, Greece, Portugal and Italy are under pressure to sell off public water assets as a condition of their bailout agreements. And members of the European Parliament have claimed that the Commission are trying to force privatisation through the back door. But the Commission says that Member States will still be able to decide whether to keep water supplies in public ownership. Just because water is public doesn't mean it is free. By 2030 global demand for water could outstrip supply by more than 40%. We have to learn to live within our means. Water pricing is central to the EU's water efficiency agenda. The Commission wants to ensure that all countries are covering the full cost of water services through water charges. This means not only the cost of treatment and supply, but also the cost of the resource itself and the environmental impacts of using water. This could mean higher water charges for EU citizens. But it could also lead to more investment in upgrading water infrastructure, repairing leaky pipes and protecting ecosystems. So, is there a conflict between the right to water and water efficiency? Not necessarily. The right to water doesn't mean the right to wastewater. And water pricing doesn't need to mean water privatisation.