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Monday, April 24, 2006

Altea
Valencia Life of April 23 reported the following:
SEAFRONT AREA TO BE REFORMED
It has been revealed that the Altea seafront between the Algar River estuary and the fishing port is to be reformed and revitalized over the next two years at a cost of some 9.6 million Euros. The plan calls for two underground car parks, the entire seafront to be a pedestrian area, and the creation of two huge public squares. Presented by Vicente Martinez, the local director of Coasts, it is completely different from the plan approved by Altea Town Hall in March of 2000, and which was included in the State budget of the Partido Popular for 2004, but was later cancelled when the Socialists assumed Government. Under this latest plan, the Altea beach front area will be increased from 15,000 square metres to 115,000 square metres and two large jetties will protrude into the sea as protection. Altea MayorMiguel Ortiz stated that the project 'was the second most important project for Altea following the regeneration of the old part of the town'.

Friday, April 21, 2006

Albatera. The problems worsen.
From a letter received from an AUN member - 21.4.6
Well, what we have been dreading for the last year finally came to the fore on Tuesday, 18th April 2006, when we received from Albatera Ayuntamiento the first 12 pages of a 228 page document informing us that the plans for the Albanature Project were approved by Valencia on the 31st March 2006. The total cost of the infrastructure for the Albanature Project is 14,271.859 Euros !!

The minimum cost to us is going to be 40.64 Euros per s.m. rising to perhaps 60.72 Euros per s.m. With the land we own we are going to have to pay a personal infrastructure sum of between 126,317 Euros and 188,717 Euros. If we cannot find this money we will have to lose a further 52.45% of land in lieu. On top of the minimum land grab of 36.58% we stand to lose 89.03% of our land. Even if we find the money to pay for the infrastructure there is still no guarantee that our house will not be affected. At the end of the day if the house is demolished to make way for all the new housing all we might be left with is 341 s.m. of land which will be of no use to us whatsoever, especially if it is in the middle of other houses without any access to it. Our story is typical of what has gone on before. As you can imagine we are utterly devastated.

Albatera. The problems worsen.
From a letter received from an AUN member - 21.4.6
Well, what we have been dreading for the last year finally came to the fore on Tuesday, 18th April 2006, when we received from Albatera Ayuntamiento the first 12 pages of a 228 page document informing us that the plans for the Albanature Project were approved by Valencia on the 31st March 2006. The total cost of the infrastructure for the Albanature Project is 14,271.859 Euros !!

The minimum cost to us is going to be 40.64 Euros per s.m. rising to perhaps 60.72 Euros per s.m. With the land we own we are going to have to pay a personal infrastructure sum of between 126,317 Euros and 188,717 Euros. If we cannot find this money we will have to lose a further 52.45% of land in lieu. On top of the minimum land grab of 36.58% we stand to lose 89.03% of our land. Even if we find the money to pay for the infrastructure there is still no guarantee that our house will not be affected. At the end of the day if the house is demolished to make way for all the new housing all we might be left with is 341 s.m. of land which will be of no use to us whatsoever, especially if it is in the middle of other houses without any access to it. Our story is typical of what has gone on before. As you can imagine we are utterly devastated.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

International Herald Tribune
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006 By Renwick McLean
MADRID The Spanish government has opened an investigation to learn why nearly a quarter of the €500 bills in circulation are currently found in Spain and to determine whether it was the result of illicit activity, officials at the Ministry of Economy said Wednesday. Government officials and outside analysts say that the high number of bills reflects a large black market economy, extensive tax evasion, and perhaps considerable levels of money laundering and corrupt business practices. The €500 bills, worth $618, are seldom seen in everyday commerce in Spain, but officials at the Ministry of Economy say that there are more than 90 million of them here, or about 25 percent of the total. About 10 billion bills of all denominations are currently in circulation, according to the European Central Bank. "If you consider the size of the economy, Spain has many more of these bills than you would expect," said a spokesman for the Ministry of Economy, where protocol dictates that press officials speak on the condition of anonymity. "We would like to know why," he said, adding that it was too early to say whether the cause was illicit activity. Gestha, an association of tax professionals in Madrid, has been calling for an investigation of the bills for months, speculating that they were a result of corruption connected to the booming Spanish real estate market.
Housing prices in Spain have more than doubled since the late 1990s, driven by rising incomes, immigration, and low interest rates set by the European Central Bank. According to the Ministry of Housing, unsubsidized house price growth slowed slightly in the last quarter of 2005 but was still up by an annual 12.8 percent. Spanish investigators say that city governments in Spain have become increasingly vulnerable to corruption during the boom, as developers lobby them to hand out building licenses and to approve rezoning requests.
When the euro went into regular circulation in 2002, hardly any of the €500 notes were in Spain, partly because it was not one of the countries initially authorized to issue them. But the number has grown steadily since then, increasing by more than 30 percent in 2005 alone, according to the association of tax professionals. This sharp growth and the suspicions that it is linked to illicit activity have led to calls that the bills be withdrawn from circulation from some industry groups and associations. But government officials have rejected the requests, saying among other things that the bills are an important tool for investigators who track money laundering. "Killing the €500 euro would deprive us of an important piece of information" in the fight against money laundering, Soledad Núñez, director for political finance at the Ministry of Economy, said at a conference on money laundering in March, according to the state-financed news agency EFE. But Alejandra Gómez, a criminology professor at the University of Malaga, said in an interview that the presence of large bills does not generally indicate money laundering. "Laundering of large sums of capital is usually done through institutional channels," she said. "The only thing these bills indicate for sure is that there is a high-level underground economy here," she added. The large bills could be from drug dealing or corrupt activities in booming industries like real estate, she said. But the most likely explanation is that many Spaniards are trying to hide their income and wealth from the government. "What this tells us is that there is a significant level of tax evasion in Spain," she said. "Much of the population does not believe tax evasion is a serious crime."

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Andalucia.
Land problems are not only in Valencia.
A letter from a resident in Andalucia
Dear Jan.
I am always interested in the reports of AUN, of which I became full member. However I live in Andalucia and more specificly in the province of Almeria. Also practices like in Valencia occur here. A spanish urbanizer has bought all the land around our small ex-mining village El Pinar and will extend the existing app. 80 houses up to roughly 1200. Of course with all infrastructural consequenses. This man requires not only land, but from some owners also money. It is quite understandable that this causes much stress and for some of us sleepless nights. There slogan is "where nature lives" but should be better "where nature lived".
These practices are more or less identical with those that happen in the communidad Valencia. It is perhaps recommended to publish this on your website, that potential buyers know to be alert also in this region.

Friday, April 14, 2006

La Nucia. from Valencia Life 14.4.6
PROJECT REJECTED
The Territorial Commission for Urbanizing, that controls all plans for municipalities of less that 50,000 inhabitants, yesterday announced that it was turning down a project for an urbanization in La Nucia, which was one of the largest plans for Alicante Province, urbanizing over two million square metres, creating 3,384 homes, and doubling the actual population of the town. In its findings, the Commission stated that the project was not sufficiently clear as to the source of the water for the 600,000 square meter golf course. The Commission also stated that it was simply 'not right' to include a deep gully in the urbanization project.

Below is a copy of a letter from an AUN member to Seprona (the environmental department of the Guardia Civil). This letter is copied with the writer´s permission and the person hopes that being shown here it will encourage others, who are concerned at the destruction of the Valencian countryside, to also communicate with the office of Seprona.
Jan.
---
Dear Sirs,
What a pity that the politicians seem more interested in making money than they are in protecting the irreplacable beauty of the countryside.
The plans approved by the Council in Parcent in the Val de Pop in Alicante province are typical of the short term attitudes of these politicians. These plans, approved by the council under the aegis of the LRAU law two days before it was replaced, will allow some 1400 odd houses to be built in this, one of the most beautiful areas left on the eastern seaboard of Spain. The fast profit, at the expense of the owners of the land, outweighs, in the eyes of the politicians,developers and builders the loss, for ever, of the peaceful tranquility of 'the campo'. The visual impact will be dreadful, but it seems, all is permitted in the name of the almighty profit.
When will we see an ordered process towards economic stability instead of this headlong rush to deprive all our future generations? Some day the politicians will realize that it is the beauty of Spain which attracts foreign settlers and tourists alike and this continued rape of the countryside will only serve to diminish the attractiveness which draws the money in the first place.
Please enforce your powers before it is too late!!!
--
The following website originates in Spanish, with an option to translate into English.
http://www.guardiacivil.org/quesomos/organizacion/operaciones/seprona/index.jsp

SEPRONA of the Guardia Civil has a department which deals with problems relating to the environment. We should all write to this office with our concerns regarding the destruction of the Valencian countryside due to the building projects already under construction and for the areas with council plans for future development.

The webpage gives an option to send a message via the site or alternatively write to seprona@guardiacivil.org

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Website

The following website originates in Spanish, with an option to translate into English.
http://www.guardiacivil.org/quesomos/organizacion/operaciones/seprona/index.jsp

SEPRONA of the Guardia Civil has a department which deals with problems relating to the environment. We should all write to this office with our concerns regarding the destruction of the Valencian countryside due to the building projects already under construction and for the areas with council plans for future development.

The webpage gives an option to send a message via the site or alternatively write to seprona@guardiacivil.org

Monday, April 10, 2006

Costa Blanca News 7 4 2006: British Embassy investigates land law abuses

By Tom Cain

The British embassy this week sent its first secretary Bruce Bucknell to Alicante to investigate land grab abuses carried out under the now defunct LRAU land law.

The top diplomat met Valencia ombudsman Bernardo del Rosal in Alicante before heading to Benissa to meet representatives of Abusos Urbanísticos No and its president Charles Svoboda. While there, he discussed some of the thousands of cases involving the unfair and illegal expropriation of property carried out under the guise of public interest projects and backed by the LRAU land law.

After meeting Mr Svoboda, the first secretary moved on to Valencia to meet Pedro Grimalt, the understudy to Rafael Blasco, head of Valencia's housing and territories council. Mr Bucknell outlined worries that the new LUV land law is generating and asked for explanations as to the role of developers in relation to projects deemed to be in the public interest.

The British Embassy investigation could see other EU embassies following suit if land law abuse complaints are found to be justified.

EU REJECTS NEW LAW

Michael Cashman, first vice chair of the EU Petition's committee has said he is delighted to hear that the European Commission has declared it remains unsatisfied with the new LUV land law in the Valencia Region, in that it still does not comply with European laws.

He said: “A law in the region is being abused and people are being exploited. Essentially, a non-transparent and complicated law is being exploited by unscrupulous businesses and officials in Valencia resulting in people having to pay fines or even losing their land and homes.”

He added that the European parliament has been vigorously defending the rights of citizens of all nationalities who have been affected by these abuses. After careful analysis of the new law adopted in Valencia – a law specifically to address the 'land grab problems' – the European Commission agrees with the European parliament that breaches of EC law are still taking place.

Valencia has two months to respond to the EU's concerns.

QUICK RESPONSE

Councillor Blasco challenged the commission to take Valencia to court over the LUV. He added that amendments to the law can only be carried out by national government.

tomcain@costablancanews.es

ARISE SIR STEPHEN

British Ambassador to Spain Stephen Wright KCMG was conferred the honour of Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George by Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace last week. Sir Stephen and Lady Wright pose proudly outside the palace.

Friday, April 07, 2006

UN Environment Programme: Press release on Mediterranean:04/04/06
Mediterranean Threatened by Development, says Blue Plan Report Development pressures threaten to overwhelm the Mediterranean by 2025, says Blue Plan report Study also recommends solutions for minimizing the damage Geneva, 4 April 2006 - A 400-page report commissioned by the 21 nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea extrapolates from current trends in environment and development to paint a grim picture of the region in the year 2025. But the report also describes an alternative pathway based on the principles of sustainable development that could dramatically boost the quality of life over the coming decades. "Governments need to recognize that economic and social development requiresa healthy natural environment. Tough decisions and trade-offs will have tobe made if the Mediterranean is to preserve the natural beauty and quality of life that have made it one of the world's most attractive locations," said Mohamed Ennabli, Vice-President of the Blue Plan (Plan Bleu) and Former Minister of Environment and Land Use Management in Tunisia. The report, "A Sustainable Future for the Mediterranean: the Blue Plan's Environment & Development Outlook", was written by some 300 experts assembled under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme's Athens-based Mediterranean Action Plan. It was funded by the participating countries with special support from the European Commission, France, and the European Environment Agency. The report concludes that many of the more pessimistic predictions that the first Blue Plan study made in 1989 have come true. Looking ahead now another20 years, the Blue Plan examines how current baseline trends will affect the Mediterranean Basin by 2025. Among its conclusions: . By 2025, 524 million peopled will live in the Mediterranean rim countries, compared to 427 million in the year 2000. Of these, 75% will live in urbanareas. . The population of Mediterranean coastal cities will rise from 70 million in 2000 to 90 million in 2025, and 312 million tourists will visit the coastal areas every year versus 175 million in 2000. .
Coastal areas will become increasingly saturated by development. In addition to new harbors, roads and airports, the coastline of 2025 is expected to host 360 coastal power plants (compared to 200 in 2000), several dozen new refineries, and perhaps 175 new desalinization plants. Altogether, the conversion of an additional 4,000 km of coastline will result in 50% of the Sea's 46,000 km-coastline being built-up by 2025. . The demand for fresh water will continue to increase, particularly on the southern and eastern shores. By 2025, some 63 million people in the Mediterranean will have access to less than 500 m2 per capita per year(which has been defined as the "shortage" threshold). Because options for increasing the supply of water are reaching their limits, the focus must be on managing the demand for water. If properly implemented, this could lead to savings of nearly 54 km3 of water, or 24% of the total demand projected for 2025 under the baseline scenario (estimated at 210 km3 for theMediterranean Basin), and stabilize water demand near 2000 levels. . The demand for primary commercial energy more than doubled in the Mediterranean Basin from 1970 to 2000. Between 2000 and 2025, this demand could rise by another 65%. By exploiting the technologies currently available, however, the region could save 208 Mtoe (million tonnes oilequivalent) per year by 2025, about half of the projected growth in demand from 2000 to 2025. It could also ensure that renewable energy sources (geothermal, solar, wind, hydraulic) will grow to represent 14% of primaryenergy use by 2025, instead of the 4% expected under the baseline scenario. .
Road traffic continues to grow by some 2.7% per year on the northern rimof the Sea and 3.4% in the south. By 2025 this will cause a two-foldincrease in passenger traffic and a 2.6-fold increase in freight traffic. .
Maritime freight may continue to grow faster than the overall economy , especially due to increased transit traffic (5.6% per year between 2000 and2025, resulting in nearly a four-fold increase). While operational pollution from hydrocarbons should decrease, discharges of bilge water and chemical products as well as the risks of oils spills and other polluting accidents are growing significantly. .
In the South, it will be increasingly difficult to manage the volumes of waste produced (587 kg per person per year in 2025 versus 282 in 2000). In the North, waste volumes are expected to reach one 1,000 kg per person per year in 2025 versus 566 kg in 2000. .
Desertification in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean will worsen the social and environmental damage, exacerbating rural poverty, biodiversity loss and the degradation of water resources. The high rate of siltation that has been experienced by dams suggests that the 21st century will be the"post-dam era". .
An additional 1.5 million hectares or more of top-quality agricultural land will be lost to urbanization and infrastructure development over the next 20 years. .
Other current threats to the Sea itself include the discharge of urbanwaste water - some 60% of which is untreated - into the Mediterranean, a doubling of nitrates over the past 20 years, a 90% decline in natural sediment reaching the Sea over the past 50 years (leading to coastalerosion), the introduction of some 500 alien species (some of which, for example Caulerpa seaweed, cause enormous economic and ecological damage),and the endangered status of 104 native species, including the monk seal and marine turtles. The report urges the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and the member states of the 1975 Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean to strengthen their Mediterranean policies. It calls for a new regional protocol to the Convention containing stronger measures, for greater private and public financing to reduce pollution in the region, and the development of better demand-management and local sustainable-development policies. It also recommends efforts to mobilize all stakeholders for policies and projects that integrate environment and development.
Note to journalists: For more information, please contact Michael Williamsat +41-22-917-8242, +41-79-4091528 (cell), or michael.williams@unep.ch Seealso http://www.planbleu.org/actualite/uk/aveniDurableMediterranee.html. Further Resources "A Sustainable Future for the Mediterranean: the Blue Plan's Environment &Development Outlook" Order the report A Sustainable Future for the Mediterranean: the Blue Plan's Environment &Development Outlook Press kitFlyer The Plan Bleu Regional Activity Centre Environment and development in the Mediterranean Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)

Thursday, April 06, 2006

URGENT MEDIA RELEASE (from Brussels)

FROM MICHAEL CASHMAN MEP


"END THE ABUSES"


Michael Cashman is "delighted" to hear that the European Commission has just published a new decision declaring that it remains unsatisfied that a new law (the LUV law) in the Valencia region of Spain fails to comply with European law. As First Vice Chair of the Petition's committee Michael Cashman has been leading the European Parliament's charge against the Spanish region where thousands of residents, including many Brits, have seen their dreams turn into nightmares.

"A law in the region is being abused and people are being exploited" explains Michael, who headed a European Parliament mission to the region to investigate in May 2005. "Essentially, an untransparent and complicated law is being exploited by unscrupulous businesses and officials in Valencia resulting in people having to pay fines or even losing their land and homes" continued Michael.

"We in the European Parliament have been vigorously defending the rights of citizens of all nationalities who have been affected by these abuses. I am delighted that after careful consideration and analysis of the new law adopted in Valencia - a law specifically to address the 'land grab' problems - the European Commission agrees with the European Parliament that breaches of EC law are still taking place".

The right to own property is a basic human right which many people in Valencia are being unfairly deprived of. The Spanish national and regional governments must respect its commitments under European and international law.

"I remain fully committed to seeing that justice is done for the resident's of the Valencia region and that the law is amended so that these abuses end once and for all". "The European Commission can ultimately force Spain to amend its law through a case before the European Court of Justice (ECJ). "We'll support the Commission every step of the way" said Michael resolutely.

For further comment please contact Michael Cashman on 0044 797 336 2811

NOTE FOR EDITORS:

In December 2005 the European Parliament adopted a report on the fact finding mission to Valencia which took place in May 2005. This report made several recommendations to the Valencian government including how it could amend its law to respect EC law.

In reaction to the Parliament's and Commission's concerns of breach of EC law, the Valencian government adopted a new law (LUV law) in January 2006.

In a decision published this week, the European Commission confirms that this new law also breaches EC law. Spain risks being taken to Court by the European Commission if its laws are found to breach EC law. The European Parliament will support the Commission should it decide to take action against Spain before the ECJ

Valencia Life 5.4.3

IN THE FIRING LINE YET AGAIN
The European Union yesterday opened a new case against the Valencian Community, stating that the new law for Urbanizing - LUV - that replaces the much-disputed LRAU did not comply with EU directives over public contracting, and gave the Community two months in which to alter the law. A statement from the Valencian government admitted that the new Law 'was in line with the contractual laws of Spain as set out in article 149 of the Constitution, and any alterations to this should be undertaken by Madrid'. 'If these amendments are put in place by Madrid, they will immediately be reflected in the LUV' the statement added. However, the EU stated that if the LUV is not amended within two months, it intends to present a case against it before the European Courts of Justice.

A DISASTER
The Benidorm hotel Association HOSBEC has revealed that hotel occupancy for March has fallen by 7.4%, for the worst figure since the 90s. However, several hotel owners stated that the real drop was not 7.4% but 20%, and demanded an aggressive promotion campaign to ensure that the fall in hotel stays did not continue. Insiders have expressed the view that the situation may well improve over Holy Week and Easter.

JAVEA THREE STATEMENT
A statement was released yesterday by the 'Javea Three' - Tony Cabban, Amanda Dean and Ana Vasbinder, in which they accused the current Mayor of concentrating too much on criticism and of having no plans of his own for Javea. The statement also totally refuted the 'invoices discovered in drawers' statement by the current Mayor, and called into question the suspension of part of the building licenses 'that could cost the council a lot of money in compensation'. The statement concluded: "We earnestly urge the Mayor and his Government to stop moaning about the previous administration ... They need to remember that they are not in opposition now, and stop acting like they were still in opposition. They need todevelop a work programme and start actually doing things."

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