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Expatriates whose Spanish homes have been demolished or who have seen their land seized under the so-called ‘land grab’ laws in our region, have been telling their stories last week to a committee of MEP’s in Brussels.
Thousands of British, German and Dutch citizens have been forced to hand over part of their land or property or to pay for new infrastructure as new housing schemes have been created in the Valencia region, with many of the stories having previously featured in the ‘Leader.’
British Labour M.P. Michael Cashman, who was in Spain gathering information on the matter last year, says he will take the matter onto the European Court of Human Rights if he has to.
Mr Cashman said, “They were assured that deeds to their property were legal as advised by local lawyers, developers and officials. Now, because of a combination of corruption and interpretation of new property laws, these people are facing ruin. Homes will either be demolished or people are now being asked to pay even more money for water and electricity supplies, which they were assured their property would receive.”
The problem is acute in the Valencia area, but has also been seen in Andalucía, parts of Murcia and on the Canary Islands.
The laws which led to this process were introduced by the Valencia regional government in 1994, and amended in 2005, but promises from the government to scrap them and compensate the victims have not been met.
Cashman and the MEP’s are expected to call on the European Commission to step in.
“Though the Commission may not have a direct role in the internal land laws in Spain, the fact of the matter is that people’s fundamental rights are being trampled over.”
Cashman is calling for a moratorium on any more decisions under the law and a halt to any further demolitions of peoples homes.
Michael Cashman’s concerns have been echoed by the British Euro MP’s Neil Parish and Robert Atkins, with the latter saying it was simply unacceptable for people to lose their homes, lose their money, and lose their savings.
Austrian Socialist Euro MP, Herbert Bösch, is calling for all European aid to be blocked to the Valencia region until they resolve the ‘town planning abuse’, and he has also launched a message advising people not to make any sort of investment in the region.
Already the Constructors’ association in the Valencia region has dismissed the calls for the moratorium, saying that more building should be taking place to reactivate the economy in Valencia, and underlining what they consider to be the independence of the Valencian regional parliament.
Spanish Euro MP for the Partido Popular, José Manuel García Margallo, has commented that he feels sorry for those affected, but “the European Union has no responsibility for town planning and these are questions which have to be resolved in Spain.”
Meanwhile Brussels is reported to be considering drawing up a new report on town planning abuses in the Valencia region.
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