Friday, July 30, 2004
Courtesy of Costa Blanca News
EU OUSTS LAND GRABBERS
LRAU is condemned as 'a grave contravention of elemental human rights'
By NEWSDESK EDITOR DANNY COLLINS
A SCATHING REPORT ON VALENCIA'S LAND GRAB LAW BY AN EU PETITIONS COMMITTEE HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - BACKING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A HALT TO LAND GRABS AND PAYMENT OF COMPENSATION TO PAST VICTIMS.
The three-man committee visited the region at the end of May this year in answer to a petition by Charles Svoboda, founder of action group Abusos Urbanísticos - No, against the LRAU (Ley Reguladora de la Actividad Urbanística) placed before the EU parliament earlier this year.
Petitions Committee spokesman David Lowe said the acceptance of the committee's findings means the euro-delegates agree that the land legislation constitutes 'a grave contravention of the most elemental of human rights'. He added that the Parliamentary Petitions Committee will continue to collaborate with all those affected until the alleged abuses have been resolved.
The vote to accept the report, which means the EU Commission would eventually take action against Spain and the autonomous Valencian Region unless the fact-finding mission's recommendations of a moratorium on all LRAU projects and retrospective compensation for affected homeowners are acted upon with due process, was passed by 14 votes to three with three abstentions.
Speaking with CBN Newsdesk by telephone yesterday, Abusos-No founder Charles Svoboda said: "This has been a first positive step, but there is still a long way to go. The matter will pass before the European parliament at one level or another and that will take time. The process is that Spain will eventually receive notification by letter from Brussels that the LRAU legislation is illegal under the EU Human Rights Charter and must be withdrawn in its current form. If this is ignored, the next step is the European Court of Human Rights." Mr Svoboda admitted that talks of compensation were 'a long way into the future' but he advised prospective claimants to 'start getting their documents together'.
BIGGEST ILLEGAL LAND GRAB
Brussels' condemnation of government-approved land grabs that left homeowners destitute and filled the pockets of developers and councillors has caught the attention of UK media this week. Announcing the EU verdict on Wednesday, The Times wrote: 'It has been described as one of the biggest illegal land grabs in Europe since the Second World War'.
Regular updates on the LRAU appeal process are available on www.abusos-no.org.
