Labour MEPs call for new inquiry to solve Spanish property problems - 2010-07-06

Labour MEPs have called on the Spanish government to establish a new committee of inquiry to deal with property problems that have seen thousands of people facing the prospect of losing their home.

Addressing the Spanish Prime Minister in the European Parliament today (Tuesday 6 July), Glenis Willmott, the leader of the British Labour MEPs, said that discussions with colleagues from the ruling Spanish socialist party had resulted in the idea of a committee of inquiry to help those affected to seek redress.

Prime Minister Zapatero has now committed to continue the work with groups in the European Parliament to try to find a solution on this issue.

Glenis Willmott said: "People who have been affected by these threats of repossession and loss of savings aren't interested in political rhetoric, they simply want to sort things out.

"In discussions with Spanish socialist MEPs the idea of a committee of inquiry has been raised. This would bring together government representatives with developers, estate agents and banks to adjudicate on individual cases. It could provide a means to ensure that people are fairly compensated for what has happened to them."

Thousands of people from Spain, Britain and other EU countries, face the prospect of losing their home in Spain, without the prospect of any adequate compensation.

The process, known as ‘land grab', starts with a local authority reclassifying rural land as urban land, without the permission of the land owner. Developers then build on land around properties and demand cash from the owners to pay for new roads, drainage and other infrastructure. In other cases, homes have been bought which have been declared illegal and face demolition.

Michael Cashman MEP, who has been campaigning on this issue for seven years, believes that the committee may be a way of getting through the current impasse that has been blocking effective action on this issue. He said: "Spain's regional laws mean it is difficult for the Spanish government to act on this issue, but act they must.

"For years now we have been demanding action, but very little has been done. If a committee of inquiry offers an opportunity to get past the current blockage then the government must use it.

"Nobody can understand the worry that comes from the prospect of giving up your home, of surrendering your life savings.

"As politicians, we have a duty to campaign for our constituents and, most importantly, to try and find solutions to the problems they face, unlike UKIP who raise the issue when it suits them and then do not even wait to find out the answer from the Prime Minister."

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