Spain has approved a two-year moratorium on evicting needy people from their homes in the wake of a pair of suicides and various street protests.
Bloomberg reports the law was passed by royal decree and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said he plans to rush things into action after a woman named Amaya Egaña became the second Spain suicide in less than two months. Egaña leapt to her death from her balcony when officials showed up to change the locks to her apartment.
The Associated Press reports that Spaniards are angry over the evictions. The Spanish government is negotiating bailouts for the banks, while some of those same agencies are repossessing homes and evicting people. Spain has seen nearly 400,000 eviction notices over back mortgages since the recession began in 2008. In an effort to combat the trend, Spain has suspended mortgage payments for those making less than $18,400 or less a year, or a family whose primary earner has exhausted unemployment benefits.
To be safe from eviction, the AP reports a household "must have more than three children, or have children under the age of three, or be elderly, or have disabled people in the household, or be single parents with two children, or be victims of domestic violence."
The Spain suicides and protest have spurred the government to action in a nation that suffers from 25 percent unemployment, a figure expected to rise.
Vocabulary:
Moratorium : moratoria
Needy people: gente necesitada
In the wake of: a raíz de
Passed by Royal Decree: aprobada por decreto real
Rush things into action: darse prisa en actuar, apresurarse a actuar
Leap- leapt - leapt: saltar
Angry over sth:enfadados por algo
Negotiate bailouts: negociar rescates
Repossess:embargar
Evict people:desahuciar a la gente
Eviction notices over… : órdenes de desalojo por…
Combat the trend: combatir/ luchar contra la tendencia.
Suspend: suspender
Mortgage payments: pagos de la hipoteca
Unemployment benefits: subsidios/ prestaciones de desempleo
To be safe from…:para estar protegidos de…
Spur to action: alentar/ impulsar a actuar
