Hungary: Adoption of the law on agricultural land | Land Portal

The Hungarian Parliament adopted on 21 June 2013, a law on agricultural land, which imposes restrictions on foreigners to acquire land.

The law received 253 votes in favor, 17 against and no abstentions in Parliament, where the formation of the Conservative Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, has a two-thirds majority.

"From May 1, 2014, the farmland market is liberalized in Hungary and the purchase of land will be possible for citizens of member countries of the EU," said the Hungarian government in a statement.

According to the text, Hungarian and EU citizens can buy land in Hungary, but if the area exceeds one hectare, buyers will be farmers. These will be identified with a degree in forestry or agricultural or justify an agrarian activity in Hungary at least three years.

According to Viktor Orban, the new law "comes to reconciling the defense of the Hungarian land with Community law" and defends the interests of small and medium producers. The opposition has expressed a contrary view: the member Rebeka Szabo, the Dialogue training for Hungary (left-green), said before the vote that the law "betrayed the farmers who do not have the means to be heard their voice on relevant issues" such as rental of arable land.

According to the independent MP Szilvia Lengyel, the law creates larger at the expense of smaller domains shared by Zoltan Gogos opinion, a Socialist deputy, who denounced that "some 5,000 areas of 1,200 hectares on average will be created in the country, serving the interests of a small circle".

He was referring to the scandal revealed in early 2012, when the opposition and former Secretary of State to the Minister of Agriculture, Jozsef Angyan, himself a member of Fidesz, denounced the practice whereby the majority of land offered for rent were returned to companies related to Fidesz. "The mafias are taking over all the resources of the land, grants and contracts," then criticized Mr. Angyan, who resigned at the end of January 2012 after finding anomalies, ignored, he by his superiors.

Farmers protested Friday across the country occupying roads, especially in the departments to the north and west of Budapest.

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