14.01.09 16:03 Age: 2 yrs

Spanish coastal law brings uncertainty due to the threat of expropriation

By: Andreas Fürlinger

The Spanish authorities increasingly rely on the coastal law dating back to 1988, although the legal situation is not completely clear.

There are several notices that the Spanish government threatens to nationalize property close to the coast. This is based on the coastal law of 1988, which reserves the state a coast strip of land of 20 to 500 meters. Owners of houses in such situation can only apply for a right of usufruct for 30 or 60 years. But it is not clear what width in what environment shall be used and when that will be precisely measured. It also seems dubious whether the law becomes effective also with property, which was built with legal permission before the law has come into force. A civic initiative organizes the protests against the expropriation and relies in particular on the help of the European Union. Details to that can be found on the Internet on www.afectadosleydecostas.com.