Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Don´t hold you breath, it is no doubt just another gimmick
Valencia Life 13.8.6
A REAL FIRST (VL) The Valencian Government yesterday gave the green light for the creation of a decree that will give rise to a Law of the Countryside of the Valencian Community. This initiative, propelled by Esteban Gonzalez Pons of the Conselleria for the Territory, will convert Valencia into the first autonomous region of Spain to undertake such an obligation, which is to take into account how to control construction. The new law as envisaged by the Conselleria is completely in line with a European Convention on the Countryside, which specifies that 'the territory is that perceived by its citizens', establishing the countryside as a 'fundamental element' of planning and as a condition on which other criteria such as new building and infrastructure are based. According to sources this new law also groups together and takes into account the Valencian Land Laws or LUV, The Law ofnon-Urbanizable Land, the Law of Environmental Impact and the Law of Protected Spaces. The document as elaborated by the Conselleria has some 66 articles, divided into a first chapter and three others concerning public intervention, the rules for the countryside and finally the controls for supervision.
(Note: This poorly worded report of yet another law in the pipeline won't do much to relieve the anxieties of small property owners, just as none of the laws announced or put into force so far have failed in this regard. It is more in the realm of a pre election gambit. As in the case of the other laws mentioned, it seems to be "business as usual" for the land grabbers. In any event , expect this new law if and when it emerges to be laced with caveats and exceptions. Until there are court cases against violators, it is unlikely that anything will change, besides the political rhetoric fromValencia- see how "green " we say we are! CVS)
Valencia Life 13.8.6
A REAL FIRST (VL) The Valencian Government yesterday gave the green light for the creation of a decree that will give rise to a Law of the Countryside of the Valencian Community. This initiative, propelled by Esteban Gonzalez Pons of the Conselleria for the Territory, will convert Valencia into the first autonomous region of Spain to undertake such an obligation, which is to take into account how to control construction. The new law as envisaged by the Conselleria is completely in line with a European Convention on the Countryside, which specifies that 'the territory is that perceived by its citizens', establishing the countryside as a 'fundamental element' of planning and as a condition on which other criteria such as new building and infrastructure are based. According to sources this new law also groups together and takes into account the Valencian Land Laws or LUV, The Law ofnon-Urbanizable Land, the Law of Environmental Impact and the Law of Protected Spaces. The document as elaborated by the Conselleria has some 66 articles, divided into a first chapter and three others concerning public intervention, the rules for the countryside and finally the controls for supervision.
(Note: This poorly worded report of yet another law in the pipeline won't do much to relieve the anxieties of small property owners, just as none of the laws announced or put into force so far have failed in this regard. It is more in the realm of a pre election gambit. As in the case of the other laws mentioned, it seems to be "business as usual" for the land grabbers. In any event , expect this new law if and when it emerges to be laced with caveats and exceptions. Until there are court cases against violators, it is unlikely that anything will change, besides the political rhetoric fromValencia- see how "green " we say we are! CVS)
Sunday, August 06, 2006
*** IMPORTANT NOTICE***
also available for view on the Presidents Blog.
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Essentially this report is stating what we expected might be the response from the Valencian Gov't. That is, a blatant attempt to settle, at no cost to itself, the dispute with the EU over the iniquitous land laws here , especially the new one (Ley Urbanistica Valenciana -LUV for short) . No mention here of the nefarious "transition arrangements" which keep the old law, the justly castigated LRAU for which the PP government blames the former "socialist" regime here , alive for any project in the pipeline before the new law supposedly took effect on February 1 of this year.
As far as Europe -or the Spanish Constitution, or other relevant national laws are concerned, forget them - it is supposed to be a free ride-with subventions of course from the EU, due to the "poverty " of this region ( where a disproportionately high percentage of the 44 thousand "declared" new millionaires were created out of the construction and property promotion rackets- mostly on the backs of small property owners- over the past four years!) . I don't believe there has been an instance where an autonomous region, let alone a member state anywhere in Europe has been so cavalier. In effect, by virtue of this declaration, no one owning property here, or contemplating buying any has any protection under national, let alone EU law if this is taken to its logical conclusion. How can the regional government, which in effect empowers the town halls, wash its hands of any responsibility? And where are the rights of the small property owner? In effect , the rights belong to the developers-the obligations are laid upon the property owner, unless the developer also has become the speculator in property and has forced the small owners out. Quite apart from the implications for the EU's Court of Justice, this statement will be important for the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg when it begins to deliberate individual complaints of breaches of European Human Rights accords which have occurred in this region ( and others).
Unfortunately, the commitments made by the former Conseller ( or Minister , Rafael Blasco) and the current one, Gonzalez Pons to respect EU law , ring very hollow in light of this report. This may well, and should be, a major issue in the lead up to next year's local and the Valencian regional elections as the statements by Socialist and other party spokesmen indicate already.
Charles Svoboda, President,
Abusos Urbanisticos NO
LEY URBANÍSTICA VALENCIANA
El Consell responde a Bruselas que no derogará los artículos cuestionados de la LUV ( The Valencian Government refuses to abide by EU law as regards its own land legislation)
VICENTE LÓPEZ
Información, 5 agosto 2006
Alicante.- El Consell ha enviado un comunicado al Gobierno para que a su vez lo remita a la Comisión Europea con el objetivo de finiquitar su polémica con Bruselas por la Ley Urbanística Valenciana (LUV), según informaron ayer fuentes de la Conselleria de Territorio y Vivienda. El documento del Ejecutivo de Camps no contempla ninguna revisión de la nueva ley autonómica, pero pretende solventar las infracciones detectadas por la CE en algunos apartados argumentando distintos artículos para justificar que su legislación no se desvía de la normativa comunitaria. En caso de que Bruselas no estime necesarias estas explicaciones trasladaría el caso al Tribunal de Justicia de Luxemburgo, que podría imponer una sanción al Gobierno español.
El organismo europeo considera que la LUV no corrige las infracciones de la legislación comunitaria detectadas anteriormente en la LRAU, según la carta de emplazamiento dirigida en abril a la Moncloa por la CE. Esta misiva añadía que «otras disposiciones de la LUV son también incompatibles con la normativa comunitaria sobre contratación pública».
La defensa de la Generalitat Valenciana ante Bruselas se basa en tres apartados: «la potestad que se concede a los ayuntamientos para aprobar los planes urbanísticos, la disposición a dar publicidad de todos los contratos públicos en el boletín oficial de la Unión Europea DOCE y la ampliación de los derechos de los pequeños propietarios respecto al promotor». Ahora deberán ser los miembros de la Comisión Europea quienes decidan si estas explicaciones son suficientes, si bien son trece los artículos que incluyen infracciones sobre la normativa comunitaria según el organismo comunitario.
El diputado autonómico del PSPV, Francesc Signes, afirmó ayer que «parece que lo que quiere el Consell es que sea la UE quien cambie la ley de contrataciones de urbanismo». «Ahora vendrá la sanción y la ley habrá que cambiarla porque no se ha subsanado», augura el dirigente socialista. El eurodiputado por Los Verdes, David Hammerstein, tampoco dudó ayer que el Consell se enfrentará a una multa económica y deberá adaptar su ley. De igual forma, la diputada de Izquierda Unida en el Congreso, Isaura Navarro, considera que el pulso del Consell con la UE se saldará con una sanción que «deberá abonar el Ejecutivo autonómico, según aclaró el Gobierno en una pregunta parlamentaria aunque será después de un proceso muy largo».
also available for view on the Presidents Blog.
----
Essentially this report is stating what we expected might be the response from the Valencian Gov't. That is, a blatant attempt to settle, at no cost to itself, the dispute with the EU over the iniquitous land laws here , especially the new one (Ley Urbanistica Valenciana -LUV for short) . No mention here of the nefarious "transition arrangements" which keep the old law, the justly castigated LRAU for which the PP government blames the former "socialist" regime here , alive for any project in the pipeline before the new law supposedly took effect on February 1 of this year.
As far as Europe -or the Spanish Constitution, or other relevant national laws are concerned, forget them - it is supposed to be a free ride-with subventions of course from the EU, due to the "poverty " of this region ( where a disproportionately high percentage of the 44 thousand "declared" new millionaires were created out of the construction and property promotion rackets- mostly on the backs of small property owners- over the past four years!) . I don't believe there has been an instance where an autonomous region, let alone a member state anywhere in Europe has been so cavalier. In effect, by virtue of this declaration, no one owning property here, or contemplating buying any has any protection under national, let alone EU law if this is taken to its logical conclusion. How can the regional government, which in effect empowers the town halls, wash its hands of any responsibility? And where are the rights of the small property owner? In effect , the rights belong to the developers-the obligations are laid upon the property owner, unless the developer also has become the speculator in property and has forced the small owners out. Quite apart from the implications for the EU's Court of Justice, this statement will be important for the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg when it begins to deliberate individual complaints of breaches of European Human Rights accords which have occurred in this region ( and others).
Unfortunately, the commitments made by the former Conseller ( or Minister , Rafael Blasco) and the current one, Gonzalez Pons to respect EU law , ring very hollow in light of this report. This may well, and should be, a major issue in the lead up to next year's local and the Valencian regional elections as the statements by Socialist and other party spokesmen indicate already.
Charles Svoboda, President,
Abusos Urbanisticos NO
LEY URBANÍSTICA VALENCIANA
El Consell responde a Bruselas que no derogará los artículos cuestionados de la LUV ( The Valencian Government refuses to abide by EU law as regards its own land legislation)
VICENTE LÓPEZ
Información, 5 agosto 2006
Alicante.- El Consell ha enviado un comunicado al Gobierno para que a su vez lo remita a la Comisión Europea con el objetivo de finiquitar su polémica con Bruselas por la Ley Urbanística Valenciana (LUV), según informaron ayer fuentes de la Conselleria de Territorio y Vivienda. El documento del Ejecutivo de Camps no contempla ninguna revisión de la nueva ley autonómica, pero pretende solventar las infracciones detectadas por la CE en algunos apartados argumentando distintos artículos para justificar que su legislación no se desvía de la normativa comunitaria. En caso de que Bruselas no estime necesarias estas explicaciones trasladaría el caso al Tribunal de Justicia de Luxemburgo, que podría imponer una sanción al Gobierno español.
El organismo europeo considera que la LUV no corrige las infracciones de la legislación comunitaria detectadas anteriormente en la LRAU, según la carta de emplazamiento dirigida en abril a la Moncloa por la CE. Esta misiva añadía que «otras disposiciones de la LUV son también incompatibles con la normativa comunitaria sobre contratación pública».
La defensa de la Generalitat Valenciana ante Bruselas se basa en tres apartados: «la potestad que se concede a los ayuntamientos para aprobar los planes urbanísticos, la disposición a dar publicidad de todos los contratos públicos en el boletín oficial de la Unión Europea DOCE y la ampliación de los derechos de los pequeños propietarios respecto al promotor». Ahora deberán ser los miembros de la Comisión Europea quienes decidan si estas explicaciones son suficientes, si bien son trece los artículos que incluyen infracciones sobre la normativa comunitaria según el organismo comunitario.
El diputado autonómico del PSPV, Francesc Signes, afirmó ayer que «parece que lo que quiere el Consell es que sea la UE quien cambie la ley de contrataciones de urbanismo». «Ahora vendrá la sanción y la ley habrá que cambiarla porque no se ha subsanado», augura el dirigente socialista. El eurodiputado por Los Verdes, David Hammerstein, tampoco dudó ayer que el Consell se enfrentará a una multa económica y deberá adaptar su ley. De igual forma, la diputada de Izquierda Unida en el Congreso, Isaura Navarro, considera que el pulso del Consell con la UE se saldará con una sanción que «deberá abonar el Ejecutivo autonómico, según aclaró el Gobierno en una pregunta parlamentaria aunque será después de un proceso muy largo».
