President of Ukraine Signs Law on Land Decentralisation

During the Forum “Ukraine 30” on Monday, 24 May, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law allowing the transfer of land outside populated localities to communal ownership. This is one of the important documents needed to launch the land market. Another land law is pending signature.

“Law No. 2194, which drastically changes the land management of our state and which is called the land constitution, this is a law that deprives cabinet officials of the function of registering the right to land, which they have never even seen in their life,” the President said.

According to him, the signed document ultimately restores the right of communities to manage their lands.

In addition, Zelensky said that the moratorium on the sale of agricultural land led to the theft of lands twice as large as the size of Crimea.

“In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula which belonged to our country. During the moratorium, some entrepreneurs and politicians stole from the state lands which were almost as large as two Crimean peninsulas. Of course, we will do everything to return both,” Zelensky stressed.

As a reminder, the moratorium on the sale of agricultural land, except for state-owned land, will be lifted in Ukraine from July 2021. Citizens of Ukraine, territorial communities, and the state may acquire the right of ownership of agricultural land plots.

Bohdan Marusyak