Making water ‘public’ in Bordeaux

In 2023, water services in the metropolitan region of Bordeaux became public again for the first time in 70 years, part of a growing remunicipalisation trend in France. It is a relatively fragile example of remunicipalisation, however, insofar as its creation was somewhat accidental and largely top-down, with limited political and grassroots support. The transition has also been very technocratic, raising questions about its political sustainability. Ambivalent support for l’Eau Bordeaux Métropole (EBM) as a public water operator amongst staff and management, and a lack of public awareness, could also make it difficult to formalise some of the more far-reaching political goals of the organisation. Despite these limitations, EBM has emerged as a paradigmatic example of a ‘social democratic’ public water operator with important lessons for other cities in France and beyond.