Press Release: Commission welcomes plans to improve situation for citizens who purchased property on the Spanish coast

European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU's Justice Commissioner, has welcomed an announcement by Spain that that it intends to improve legal certainty for property owners along the Spanish coast which have been affected by the Coastal Law.

The Coastal Law (Ley de Costas) aims to protect local habitats by designating an area along the entire coastline as a public domain. However, homeowners within the zone claim the law – and the way it has been applied – breaches their rights. Many of those affected by the Coastal Law are European citizens who have exercised their right of free movement and invested their savings in Spanish property.