The UK Liberal Democrat MEP Diana Wallis has vowed to resolve the problems facing thousands of expats involved in cross-border EU property sales with the publication of a booklet entitled 'European Property Rights and Wrongs'
Wallis has campaigned on behalf of countless Britons who bought property abroad only to find themselves beyond the help of EU and British law when things turned ugly.
As well as offering practical steps to ensuring the legal security of cross-border sales, the publication also puts forward the argument that the EU has a duty in protecting the purchase of property.
One of the steps outlined by the booklet is the notion of developing the Cross-Border Electronic Conveyancing which would enable buyers to use professionals from their home nation to assist with the purchasing process.
Ms Wallis commented: “Property rights issues in countries such as Spain and Cyprus are by far the most pressing in the Petitions Committee, and while tens of thousands face demolition, eviction or bankruptcy, the EU has been unable, or refused, to act.
The EU offers consumer protection for someone purchasing books, a piece of furniture or a hairdryer, and yet it has been reluctant to act to protect consumers when they make the most important purchase of their life.
I decided to launch this publication as a response to the stalemate we have found ourselves in, when defending those affected here in the European Parliament."