Draft bill #9341 of May 29, 2023
Cosponsors: a group of 12 MPs
Who is affected: legal entities, owners and buyers of agricultural land
Summary of the bill:
- legal entities will be allowed to buy agricultural land only after two years since martial law ends
- the following restrictions will be in effect until martial law ends:
- one person can own no more than 100 hectares of agricultural land
- no agricultural land can be bought, sold, or alienated as a part of any other economic transaction for the benefit of a legal entity.
Why this is important: in March 2020, MPs adopted the law that allowed to open the agricultural land market in Ukraine. The law provisioned a transition period when the rights of citizens and legal entities concerning ownership over agricultural land are restricted. These restrictions were supposed to be in effect until January 1, 2024.
What is right:
- the bill protects the Ukrainian land market. While martial law is in effect, it is unwise and even dangerous to launch the land market since the state did not have enough time and resources to prepare for its opening. That is why it makes sense not to lift the restrictions until martial law ends
- until the Government prepares regulations on agricultural land taking into account challenges presented by the war and potential threats from the aggressor state and its allies, the national interest of Ukraine is to restrict the free market of agricultural land.