PRIVATIZAÇÃO DA CEDAE: NA CONTRAMÃO DO MOVIMENTO MUNDIAL DE REMUNICIPALIZAÇÃO DOS SERVIÇOS DE SANEAMENTO / PRIVATIZATION OF CEDAE: OPPOSITE TO THE GLOBAL TREND OF SANITATION SERVICES REMUNICIPALIZATION

Abstract

doi: 10.12957/geouerj.2017.32057

In the scope of the present article, an analysis is carried out of the process that resulted in the approval of State Law No. 7.529/2017, which authorizes the Executive Power of the State of Rio de Janeiro to perform the sale of the entirety of CEDAE’s capital stock representative shares. The main goal is, ultimately, to investigate whether the decision for privatizing the state sanitation company was motivated by the expansion of the levels of service access or if, instead, it was fundamentally based on political and economic interests, constituting an immediate solution directed to mitigating the financial crisis faced by the State of Rio de Janeiro. Such investigation takes on special relevance, particularly when consideration is given to the fact that the privatization of CEDAE goes against the global trend of sanitation services remunicipalization started in the year 2000 – what suggests that the arguments for efficiency and economy usually advocated on behalf of the privatization of essential public services may show themselves, many times, a fallacy.