ACQUISITION OF PRIVATE AGRICULTURAL LAND IN LITHUANIA

Abstract

Each nation has developed its own system of regulating the ownership, use and movement of agricultural land to ensure the most beneficial use of the land. The efficiency and competitiveness of farms, as well as the quality of the production, depend on the conditions for the acquisition of agricultural land. The purpose of the study is to analyze the peculiarities of the acquisition of agricultural land in Lithuania. Scientific literature analysis, document analysis, systematic analysis, and summarization methods were used for the research. The main restrictions on the acquisition of agricultural land provided by legal acts are the granting of the right of priority to related persons and to the owners of plots bordering the plot for sale. It is also established that one owner cannot own more than 300 ha of agricultural land purchased from the state, or 500 ha in total. The right of priority for the acquisition of agricultural land also exists in other member states of the European Union, such as Latvia, Poland, France, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary. Only in five countries of the European Union (Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Lithuania), there are restrictions on the maximum area of agricultural land that can be purchased. Agricultural land in Lithuania can be purchased by natural and legal persons of the Republic of Lithuania, as well as natural persons of foreign countries that are members of at least one of such organizations and agreements as the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Agreement on the European Economic Area, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and legal entities.