Thursday, June 21, 2007
Press release from Michael Cashman MEP
Spain must act now to stop persistent abuses of land laws insists Cashman
"I urge all politicians at regional, national and European level to act now in order to stop these abuses which have turned people's dreams into nightmares" pleaded Michael Cashman British Labour MEP and First Vice President of the Petitions committee who has been leading the defence of citizens affected by abusive land laws in Spain's regions over the past several years.
Speaking in yet another debate on the issue in the European Parliament in Strasbourg - following the most recent fact finding mission which went to Valencia and several other parts of Spain in February of this year - Michael explained "It saddens me to have to take the floor on this issue once again. More than 18 months after the adoption by this House by an overwhelming majority of a report back in December 2005, we're still here debating the same issues and nothing has changed."
"Despite our best efforts - the adoption of a report and 3 missions to Spain - people are still receiving letters saying they will have to cede large portions of their land, land they have legally acquired and hold title deeds for. They still receive letters saying they will be forced to pay for new infrastructure. They still have no significant access to information regarding these projects nor the possibility to appeal against such decisions. This is in breach of EU law and Spain should be held accountable." continued Michael
"We must also address the issue of the legal purchase of illegally built properties where people have been duped and conned either in connivance with local politicians or at worst their indifference" said Michael.
Concluding his speech, Michael made a passionate plea:
"I urge the Commission to take the final decision regarding a case against Spain to the European Court of Justice in order to uphold community law and fundamental rights of EU citizens. I remain hopeful that this issue will be resolved and justice finally served. Resolution cannot come soon enough for the thousands of EU citizens affected"
Spain must act now to stop persistent abuses of land laws insists Cashman
"I urge all politicians at regional, national and European level to act now in order to stop these abuses which have turned people's dreams into nightmares" pleaded Michael Cashman British Labour MEP and First Vice President of the Petitions committee who has been leading the defence of citizens affected by abusive land laws in Spain's regions over the past several years.
Speaking in yet another debate on the issue in the European Parliament in Strasbourg - following the most recent fact finding mission which went to Valencia and several other parts of Spain in February of this year - Michael explained "It saddens me to have to take the floor on this issue once again. More than 18 months after the adoption by this House by an overwhelming majority of a report back in December 2005, we're still here debating the same issues and nothing has changed."
"Despite our best efforts - the adoption of a report and 3 missions to Spain - people are still receiving letters saying they will have to cede large portions of their land, land they have legally acquired and hold title deeds for. They still receive letters saying they will be forced to pay for new infrastructure. They still have no significant access to information regarding these projects nor the possibility to appeal against such decisions. This is in breach of EU law and Spain should be held accountable." continued Michael
"We must also address the issue of the legal purchase of illegally built properties where people have been duped and conned either in connivance with local politicians or at worst their indifference" said Michael.
Concluding his speech, Michael made a passionate plea:
"I urge the Commission to take the final decision regarding a case against Spain to the European Court of Justice in order to uphold community law and fundamental rights of EU citizens. I remain hopeful that this issue will be resolved and justice finally served. Resolution cannot come soon enough for the thousands of EU citizens affected"
IT'S NEXT WEEK ( when the Commission case will be presented to the ICJ)
from Valencia Life
Spain has consistently ignored the warnings from Brussels over matters of urbanizing, and as a result the European Union announced yesterday that it is intending to take the Valencian Urbanizing Laws or LUV to the European Court of Justice motivated by its incompatibility with European norms overpublic contracts. Brussels believes that the LUV in no way corrects the problems created by the previous law - the LRAU - in that there were not sufficient mechanisms to guarantee adequate competition. The presentation of the case in this way is the last option open to the EU, who first started opening a case against Spain for infractions in public contracting in April last year, and sent a second missive in October, stating that the reply it had received was not good enough. Equally forming a part of the action are the alleged irregularities of urban development and the vulneration of property rights, in which the EU clearly recognizes that Spain has little room to maneuver in these sorts of cases. A statement from the Valencian Government spoke of the LUV as being a modern law and that the case as presented would allow the autonomous government to adequately defend itself, which the federal government in Madrid has failed to do. Cristina Serrano, the Autonomous Secretary in the Conselleria for the Territory added that there are thirteen other autonomies that are in the same situation as we are, and therefore the matter is not a case of Valencian Urbanizing, but Spanish urbanizing as a whole. She went on: The LUV that replaced the Socialist LRAU scrupulously fulfills European legislation for public contracts and represents great advances for our autonomy in terms of social and sustainable building. The case follows on from the visit by Euro Labour MP Michael Cashman and Marcin Libicki of the Petitions Committee last February, which according to Carlos Iturgaiz of the Partido Popular was very clearly politically motivated, after Mr Cashman stated that the Urbanizing was the result of criminally corrupt business practices supported by an incompetent local administration.
from Valencia Life
Spain has consistently ignored the warnings from Brussels over matters of urbanizing, and as a result the European Union announced yesterday that it is intending to take the Valencian Urbanizing Laws or LUV to the European Court of Justice motivated by its incompatibility with European norms overpublic contracts. Brussels believes that the LUV in no way corrects the problems created by the previous law - the LRAU - in that there were not sufficient mechanisms to guarantee adequate competition. The presentation of the case in this way is the last option open to the EU, who first started opening a case against Spain for infractions in public contracting in April last year, and sent a second missive in October, stating that the reply it had received was not good enough. Equally forming a part of the action are the alleged irregularities of urban development and the vulneration of property rights, in which the EU clearly recognizes that Spain has little room to maneuver in these sorts of cases. A statement from the Valencian Government spoke of the LUV as being a modern law and that the case as presented would allow the autonomous government to adequately defend itself, which the federal government in Madrid has failed to do. Cristina Serrano, the Autonomous Secretary in the Conselleria for the Territory added that there are thirteen other autonomies that are in the same situation as we are, and therefore the matter is not a case of Valencian Urbanizing, but Spanish urbanizing as a whole. She went on: The LUV that replaced the Socialist LRAU scrupulously fulfills European legislation for public contracts and represents great advances for our autonomy in terms of social and sustainable building. The case follows on from the visit by Euro Labour MP Michael Cashman and Marcin Libicki of the Petitions Committee last February, which according to Carlos Iturgaiz of the Partido Popular was very clearly politically motivated, after Mr Cashman stated that the Urbanizing was the result of criminally corrupt business practices supported by an incompetent local administration.
