This was precisely how the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine responded to the appeal issued by participants at the conference ‘New Challenges and Opportunities for Cooperation in the Agricultural Sector in Times of War: 25 Years Together with the Lviv Agricultural Chamber’ on 15 September 2023.
Representatives of the Lviv Agrarian Chamber have once again demonstrated that it is not worth remaining silent and ‘burying one’s head in the sand’, as this horrific war has become a severe test for the entire country, and since 24 February 2022, a new wave of full-scale invasion has radically changed everything. The Russian aggressor’s constant attacks on Ukrainian towns, villages and ports are depriving farmers of their livelihoods and the world of affordable food. It is therefore entirely inappropriate at this time to introduce legislation restricting the registration of rights to agricultural land in Ukraine.
On the contrary, there is a need to provide legislative protection for those who not only supply the country with food but also remain reliable partners on the global market. In this context, we are referring to the Law of Ukraine No. 2498-VIII of 10 July 2018 ‘On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Concerning the Resolution of the Issue of Collective Land Ownership, the Improvement of Land Use Rules in Agricultural Land Areas, the Prevention of Raiding and the Promotion of Irrigation in Ukraine’ (hereinafter referred to as the Law).
In accordance with Article 13 of this Law, if by 1 January 2025 the owner of an unclaimed land share (parcel) or their heir has not registered ownership of the land plot, they shall be deemed to have waived their right to receive the land plot.
Due to the military aggression, for over two years the owners (heirs) have been unable to fully exercise their right to register ownership of the land share (parcel).
As the war continues in the country, the Lviv Agrarian Chamber demanded that the proposed changes be postponed from 1 January 2025 to 1 January of the following year after the end of martial law in Ukraine.
Consequently, on 22 May 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the Law (Draft No. 11150) ‘On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Concerning the Protection of the Interests of Owners of Land Shares (Parcels), as well as the Application of Administrative Procedures in the Sphere of Land Relations’. The law extends the deadline for registering unclaimed (undistributed) land plots until 1 January 2028.
As we can see, the active civic stance of the authorised representatives of the Lviv Agrarian Chamber in lobbying for the interests of land share (parcel) owners has yielded positive results. And such activities will certainly continue.
Source: Lviv Agrarian Chamber