There is a great interest only to re-grouped plots, where there is melioration but we do not know which lands this amend will concern – whether privately lands or state lands because the Municipal land fund currently has a prohibition to sell agricultural land, no matter if they are Bulgarian citizens or foreign investors. That’s why this problem with the agricultural land is very sensitive. We do not know if this will not lead to cause damages to all Bulgarians. That was said in an interview for „Predi vsichki“ (“Before all other”) by the Chairman of the Bulgarian association of the agricultural land’s owners – Stayko Staykov on the occasion of the legislative amends of the Law to encourage investments, offered by the Minister of economy Emil Karanikolov.
Members from the Association will insist to have detailed specifications of the legislative initiative, in order not to have discriminatory element towards the Bulgarian investors: „If land could be bought only by foreigners but not by the Bulgarians, this will lead to many questions. For example, what about the Municipal landed property. There is enough agricultural land. Minister Karanikolov underlined that foreigners will be able to buy land in fixed circumstances. If there are new conditions, they need to be fixed and the land is an active where currently there is a big interest by both – Bulgarian physical and juridical persons. If only foreigners could receive such certificates, this will lead to a big problem between the Bulgarian and foreign investors.
Staykov said that the branch organization has not been informed for this bill and there are no specifications with other organizations in this sector: „We must reach a consensus that has to be good first for the Bulgarians, and then for foreigners. We must not be against foreign investors but not to do that on the account of the Bulgarian farmer“.
The associate professor Ognyan Boyukliev from the Economic examinations Institute to the Bulgarian Science Academy specified that in the European documents it’s written that the state should impose restriction on selling agricultural land. According to his words, due to the European commission papers there must have reciprocity when selling agricultural land to foreigners: „If a Bulgarian would like to buy land in France, he could do that in the same conditions, as the French can buy land in Bulgaria“.
„The rules in other European countries must be entered into force. I have the feeling these are manoeuvres so that they can buy land. Land is being bought up as papers and tomatoes from people’s gardens are being bought up. I have the feeling that everything possible is being done to finish this process of agricultural land concentration but we have nothing more valueable than it“, said associated professor Boyukliev.
Source: www.bnr.bg