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Strasbourg Diary August 2004 by John
Purvis, CBE, MEP
NIGHTMARE IN THE SUN
The proliferation of TV programmes like “A
Place in the Sun” and “Get a New Life”
show British people trying to realise a dream
of living abroad or buying a holiday home in places
they have only known as tourists. These programmes
are a result of the growing fashion for selling
up and shipping out. It’s important however
that such programmes come with a health warning,
especially for those of the 100,000 people moving
to Spain every year, a proportion of whom are
from Scotland. If you are thinking of going to
Spain to live - and to Valencia in particular
- look out. This is a region where scores of families
have become victims of recent legislation designed
to regulate property development retrospectively.
A delegation from the European Parliament recently
visited Valencia in response to a petition signed
by thousands. In their report they say the application
of a law by the Valencian government has led to
a serious abuse of the rights of many thousands
of European citizens. The same law could be applied
by other regions in Spain. The MEPs said people’s
consumer and property rights had been grossly
neglected and in some cases they have had their
homes and land expropriated. They find themselves,
says the report, “in a surrealistic legal
environment without any proper recourse to real
justice, though many have also paid lawyers for
the privilege of being told directly that what
has happened to them was perfectly legal”.
The regional authorities in Spain are under pressure
to look again at the legislation, which is causing
such chaos, but it may take some time. Meanwhile,
if you are planning your place in the sun, make
sure you read the report from the European Parliament’s
Petitions Committee. It’s on the Internet
at www.europarl.org.uk under “The Week Ahead
in the European Parliament.”
THROWAWAY WASTE
Scotland has one of the worst rubbish recycling
rates in the Western world, putting us at the
top of the throwaway society league table. We
currently send over 80% of our waste to landfill
which can pollute water, air, soil, plants and
poison animals. We are also running out of space
to bury our rubbish. The only environmentally
safe alternative seems to be recycling. Incineration,
for example, creates polluting emissions and toxic
ash, which ends up in landfill sites. The recently
amended EU Landfill Directive is trying to change
all that. The Scottish Executive has reacted by
producing a plan they hope will reduce the amount
of waste we currently send to landfill to 30%
by 2020 but many are sceptical about Scotland
being able to reach this figure. The Directive
helps somewhat by banning liquids and certain
materials from landfill and by tightening site
monitoring and engineering standards. Additional
legislation extends the range of materials classified
as 'hazardous' and introduces stringent pre-treatment
requirements. The Directive also calls for the
establishment of EU-wide standards for proper
management of landfills. Waste tourism –
taking the rubbish across frontiers to fill a
cheaper hole – is also being discouraged
by ensuring practices and prices relating to landfill
are the same across the EU. The Directive is proving
painful for councils, the waste disposal industry
and, most of all, for ourselves as taxpayers who
have to foot the bill for finding other means
of disposal.
EURODESK
A new website to direct young people, youth workers,
schools and colleges to the many opportunities
to live, work and volunteer in the EU has just
gone live. The site, at www.eurodesk.org.uk, also
explains how the EU operates, how to obtain funding
and how young people can benefit from the range
of programmes on offer.
John Purvis has been re-appointed
to the Committee on Industry, Technology, Research
and Energy and as Vice Chairman of the Committee
on Economic and Monetary Affairs. He is also a
member of the Legal Affairs Committee. He can
be contacted by e-mail at jpurvis@europarl.eu.int
or visit his website on www.scottishtorymeps.org.uk.
Press Contact: Frances Donald Tel 01592 643200
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