Suicides, Protests Force Spain's Parliament to Debate Eviction Law

February 13, 2013 from Euronews

The Spanish parliament has bowed to public pressure and agreed to debate a citizens' motion that would protect indebted homeowners from eviction. Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards are behind on their mortgage payments due to the country's debt crisis. Outside parliament on Tuesday evening, protesters shouted: "It's not eviction, it's murder," after several suicides were linked to families being forced out of their homes. Parliament agreed to suspend foreclosures for two years in November, but the government has so far resisted permanent new legislation. There were also angry scenes in the public gallery during the parliamentary vote, indicative of resentment towards current policy, which allows banks to repossess a home, while any remaining debt is still owed by the former owners. An elderly couple living on the island of Mallorca became the latest suicide case on Tuesday. They received a final eviction notice hours before parliament's partial u-turn. Local media reported that the couple had been more than 84,000 euros in debt and left a suicide note explaining they were at a loss what to do.

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2008-2013 Spanish financial crisis

The 2008–2013 Spanish financial crisis began as part of the world Late-2000s financial crisis and continued as part of the European sovereign debt crisis, which has affected primarily the southern European states and Ireland. In Spain, the crisis was generated by long-term loa... Explore this topic

Spain

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a sovereign state and a member of the European Union . It is located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibral... Explore this topic

2011-2013 Spanish Protests

The 2011–present Spanish protests, also referred to as the 15-M Movement, the Indignants Movement, and Take the Square #spanishrevolution are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Spain whose origin can be traced to social networks such as Real Democracy NOW or Youth Without a... Explore this topic

Foreclosure

Foreclosure is a specific legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan. Formally, a mortgage lender, or other lien ho... Explore this topic

Eviction

Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosed by a mortgagee. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, eviction may also be known as unlawful detai... Explore this topic

Cortes Generales

The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate. The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution. Moreover, the lower house has the power to confirm and dismiss the Presiden... Explore this topic

Economy of Spain

The economy of Spain is the twelfth-largest economy in the world, based on nominal GDP comparisons, and the fifth-largest in Europe. It is regarded as the world's 23th most developed country. Until 2008 the economy of Spain had been regarded as one of the most dynamic within t... Explore this topic

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair, the cause of which is frequently attributed to a mental disorder such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse. Stress factors such as finan... Explore this topic

Debt

A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value. A debt is... Explore this topic

Protest

An act of defiance or objection by an individual or group of people. Protests can take many forms: peaceful or violent, direct or indirect, large or small. Protests in the news are often political in nature, as groups of citizens voice their disagreement or dissatisfaction. Pr... Explore this topic

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2008-2013 Spanish financial crisis

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2011-2013 Spanish Protests

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