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News: Valencia Defies EU Criticism

Ignoring pressure from the EU, new legislation in Valencia has left its controversial 'land grab' laws in place, reports www.spanishpropertyinsight.com.

After as many as 15,000 complaints from affected owners, the European Parliament in Strasbourg last autumn published a damning report on the Valencian Region's planning laws (Ley Reguladora de la Actividad Urbanistica) that allow promoters to expropriate private property for development purposes against the will of an owner.  In addition, the Fourtou Report called for a moratorium on new projects until improved regulations were in place.

At the time when the Valencian government was in the process of drawing up new legislation, Charles McCreevy, a European Commission spokesperson, commented that what was being proposed 'doesn't appear to correct the faults of the previous law.'

In spite of this criticism and the earlier report, the Valencian government went ahead and approved the new law (Ley Urbanistica Valencia) last month.

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