Lenox

The European Union is to investigate whether there has been 'urban discrimination' against, well, 'Northern European' settlers. The European Commissioner for Justice, Viviane Reding (known for her opposition to the Sarkozy gypsy deportation in France), after a prolonged campaign by MEP Marta Andreasen, has put Spain on notice that her department will be 'watching' to see if there is discrimination against foreign home-owners. Both the European and Spanish constitutions recognise the 'right to a proper home ('vivienda digna'), which presumably neither means living in a luxuriously appointed garage (Len and Helen Prior, 35 months on) or in a half-finished house powered by a generator (10,000 British owners in the Alta Almanzora).
Should be a 'slam dunk'.
El Mundo.

Dick Dasterdly

Probably water on a ducks back.
A bit silly however, as they could do themselves and their economy the power of good by offering some firm reassurances regarding proposd future actions against property owners.

HBG

It’s sad that that there also always people making money from others misfortunes. We live quite near to Catral where there are well over a thousand illegal houses.

The local newspapers are full of adverts from Spanish lawyers offering to make those houses legal; at a cost, of course.

Nige

...but who will legalise the illegal lawyers ?

jackytoo

The Mayor of alcaucin, axarquia said last week that 95% of houses in the town are illegal...he should know I suppose

HBG

Phew, I was down that way, seriously looking to buy, as recent as two years ago. I was saved by the car breaking down and a day trip to Gibraltar. A nostalgic visit to Estepona and Mijas also helped. You can’t return to the past because you’ll find a different place – or maybe you’ve become a different person.

As well as the car breaking down, I nearly crashed it when I spotted a hillside just off the new motorway near the Estepona turn-off. They had chopped the top off a mountain to build loads of houses, right up to the edge.