Social Democrat leader: Bill amending farmland sale law, yet another countrywide heist

Social Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu considers that the legislative proposal to supplement Law No. 17/2014 on specific measures regulating the sale of farmland initiated by a group of senators from the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union (USR) and the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) is nothing but "yet another countrywide heist by the right-wing coalition: the sale of the Romanian agricultural land."

"100 billion euros - that's what Romania's farmland is worth. Through the legislation adopted last year, in line with European law, we prevented them from further selling these land plots to foreigners, in order to protect both the farmers and the Romanian state, as 4 million hectares of land are no longer Romanian property! What are they doing now?! 61 deputies and senators of the Power, led by Agriculture Minister Adrian Oros, submitted to the Senate a bill that unlocks again the sale of Romanian land. Specifically, the requirements regarding the domicile and residence are wiped out, but - especially - the alienation bans that were in effect for at least 8 years from the date of the land purchase disappear too. That's what their reform looks like!," Ciolacu wrote on Monday on Facebook.

According to the Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, "instead of supporting the Romanian farmers, the initiators of the bill give free rein to land brokers".

"How will Romania be able to provide for its domestic consumption if the land is no longer its own?! How can we ever hope to no longer be a big outlet for all the pesticides-loaded dross coming from outside?! No way, if they destroy everything now!," Ciolacu notes.

A group of PNL, USR and UDMR MPs filed with the Senate a legislative proposal to supplement Law No. 17/2014 on specific measures regulating the sale of farmland and Law No. 268/2001 on the privatization of companies that manage public and private land under the state's public and private property with agricultural destination.

According to the explanatory memorandum, the bill is aimed at "achieving the fundamental purpose of Law No. 17/2014, that of merging agricultural land (...), clarifying unclear or contradictory terms in the legislation in force, removing bureaucratic barriers raised by the amendments introduced in 2020 by simplifying procedures, clarifying preemptor categories, reducing the fines provided for contraventions so that they can be ordered by the institutions with competences in this field." AGERPRES