Page 11 - UKRRptDec19

2.8​ ​Rada passes first reading of land market bill
Ukraine’s parliament approved on November 14 the first reading of the bill establishing the nation’s first farmland market.​ Its provisions were almost identical to the ​draft submitted​ on October 11 by People’s Servant MP Mykola Solskiy, the head of the parliamentary agrarian and land policy committee.
Its main conditions are the market’s launch as of October 1, 2020, with concentration is a single entity not exceeding 35% in a given district, 8% in a region/oblast and 0.5% nationally.
Foreigners without rental agreements can enter the market on January 1, 2024.
The provision of concentration of land drew criticism from Fatherland Faction Head Yulia Tymoshenko because it would allow for a single entity to own as much as 210,000 hectares, when other advanced economies allow foreigners to own only a few hundred.
Those allowed to purchase are Ukrainian citizens, Ukrainian companies, companies whose owners are foreigners and have rented Ukrainian land for at least three years, territorial communities, and the state. Renters have preferred status in acquiring the land they are currently leasing.
President Zelenskiy’s proposal for ​a referendum​ to approve the farmland market was not included in the legislation’s text, but Zelenskiy said it would be included in the second reading.
The farmland market legislation drew 240 votes in favour, largely from
11​ UKRAINE Country Report​ December 201 ​ ​www.intellinews.com