It's just after 7:30 a.m. here in Brussels (1:30 a.m. EST) and I am about to start the journey back to Canada.

The Council of Canadians joined forces this past week with the Trade Justice Network, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the National Union of Public and General Employees, and ATTAC-Quebec to fight the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) during its fourth round of negotiations here.

Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow writes in the Guardian UK today that, "On 28 July, for the first time ever, the general assembly of the United Nations will hold a historic summit on the human right to water."

"It will consider and debate a resolution supporting the right to 'safe and clean drinking water and sanitation' that was presented on 17 June by Pablo Solon, the Bolivian ambassador to the UN, and co-sponsored by 23 other countries."

"The desired outcome of the day is consensus on recognising the human right to water. However, some governments are withholding consensus and it appears likely that the resolution will have to be put to a vote, a process that has the potential to divide the world body along north/south lines."

The Inter Press Service reports that, "Fears of a trade dispute with Canada have made European Union officials reluctant to categorise tar sands from North America as a more polluting fuel than conventional petrol."

"One of the trickiest issues to emerge in the discussions (in the development of a fuel quality directive) relates to whether imports of non-conventional sources of oil should be restricted."

"In a 2009 paper drafted by environment officials tar sands were deemed to be 20 percent more damaging to the climate than the petrol typically used to power Europe's cars."

While Canadians generally think positively of Europe, and see it as more progressive than the United States, our perceptions could perhaps do with a bit of a reality check.

A critical view of the political institution that runs the European Union - namely the European Commission - is particularly needed.

This is the branch that promotes deregulation, privatization, and trade liberalization. This is the agenda that they are advancing for European transnational corporations through the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

As negotiations on the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement continued in Belgium today, the Council of Canadians delivered more than 6,000 letters opposing CETA to the Mission of Canada to the European Union at Avenue de Tervueren 2 here in Brussels this afternoon.

This action sends a strong message to the Canadian government and to the CETA negotiators here that Canadians have serious concerns about this deal now in its fourth round of talks.

The full and transparent disclosure of information is unacceptably absent with respect to how water is presently being negotiated in the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

We only know through a leaked version of an earlier CETA text and verbally from Canada's negotiating team here in Brussels that the European Commission wants access to Canadian water and sanitation services.

The EU demand seeks coverage of, "All entities which provide or operate fixed networks intended to provide a service to the public in connection with the production, transport or distribution of drinking water, or supply drinking water to such networks."

The Canwest News Service reports, "Canadian and European Union negotiators made progress in Brussels this week on an ambitious free-trade deal" to be concluded by late-2011.

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"But (trade minister Peter Van Loan) acknowledged that negotiators still face tough challenges on politically touchy issues - particularly on Europe's top demand that its multinational companies have the right to bid on lucrative provincial and municipal government procurement contracts for goods, services and infrastructure."

Brussels - Meera Karunananthan of the Council of Canadians, Gabriella Zanzanaini of Food and Water Europe and Martin Pigeon of Corporate Europe Observatory presented a letter to the European Parliament this morning calling on them to support a resolution at the United Nations on the right to water and sanitation.

The letter was received by MEPs Heide Ruhle and Rosario Crocetta and a representative from MEP Jose Bove's office.

Other MEPs to endorse the call include Michael Cashman, Joe Higgins, Enrique Guerrero Salom, and Bart Staes. Many more MEPs are expected to endorse the call prior to the July 27 vote at the United Nations.