欧洲法院废止西班牙严苛止赎法律

Campaigners in Spain hailed a resounding legal victory over the country’s banks and government when Europe’s highest court struck down a draconian foreclosure law that had come to symbolise the brutal fallout from the eurozone’s debt crisis.

欧洲最高法院废止了一条已成为欧债危机无情后果象征的严苛止赎法律，这标志着活动人士在对西班牙银行和政府的法律斗争中赢得了一场巨大胜利。

The decision by the European Court of Justice will give Spanish courts new powers to delay or freeze the eviction of home buyers who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments. It will add to rising public pressure on the government in Madrid to change a tough mortgage regime which has allowed banks to evict tens of thousands of struggling homeowners.

欧洲法院(European Court of Justice)作出的裁决赋予了西班牙法庭新的权力，可以推迟或者停止驱逐拖欠按揭还款的购房者。这将为本已受到公众越来越大压力的西班牙政府带来更大压力，迫使他们改变苛刻的按揭制度，该制度已使银行逐出了数万挣扎中的房主。

Soaring unemployment and the collapse of Spain’s debt-fuelled housing bubble have inflicted a heavy price on home buyers, who are frequently saddled with debt and exposed to the threat of eviction.

西班牙急剧攀升的失业率和债务驱动的楼市泡沫破裂，令西班牙购房者付出了巨大代价，这些购房者往往背负巨额债务，面临被驱逐的威胁。

Spanish lenders have repossessed almost 400,000 houses and offices since the start of the crisis in 2007, sparking angry protests and a popular backlash. In some instances, home buyers were reported to have committed suicide days or even hours before their eviction date.

自2007年金融危机爆发以来，西班牙银行已经收回了近40万套住房和办公室，引发愤怒的抗议和舆论反弹。在有的案例中，一些购房者在驱逐期限前几天甚至几个小时自杀。

Anti-eviction campaigners have collected almost 1.5m signatures to force parliament to debate a change in the law. The initiative wants to end the legal situation in which banks can demand full repayment of a mortgage even after it repossesses a house. Ada Colau, a spokeswoman for the Platform of Mortgage Victims, said the court ruling left Spain’s government with “no other option than to change the mortgage law”.

反驱逐运动人士收集了近150万签名，迫使议会就是否改变法律展开辩论。这项运动的发起人希望结束目前法律上的一个现状，这就是银行即便收回了房产也有权全额追偿按揭贷款。“按揭受害者舞台”(Platform of Mortgage Victims)女发言人阿达·科洛(Ada Colau)表示，法院的裁决令西班牙政府“除了更改按揭法律外别无选择”。