Only Moldova's citizens to be able to buy farmlands according to new Land Code

Chisinau, 14 November /MOLDPRES/ - Only Moldova’s citizens will be able to buy and sell the lands with agricultural purpose, as well as the ones of the forest fund. Thus, foreigners and stateless persons will not be able to purchase these lands and if they become owners by inheritance, they will be obliged to sell them in a one-year period. The provision is included in the new Land Code, approved by the cabinet today, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.   
The document regulates the relations between the landowners and public authorities, as well as the responsibilities of the owners – they will be obliged to register the title on the land in the Register of Real Estate, as well as to undertake measures of protecting the soil. Also, the Code includes a new classification of lands, depending on their purpose. Thus, the lands are classified into lands with agricultural purpose, lands of the forest fund, from waters’ fund, lands for constructions and arrangements and the ones meant for protecting the nature and the lands of historical and cultural value.  
The control over the use and protection of public and private lands will be taken over by the local public authorities (APL). Thus, APL representatives will check the lands, in order to discover infringements in their maintenance and prevent the degradation of soil. To settle problems of non-tilled or abandoned lands, the new Code provides for possibility to lease them to local public authorities for at least five-year period. The contract could be signed with owners who have not cultivated the farmland for more than two years in a row. In this case, the mayoralty will open a special account, where it will transfer 70 per cent of the lease’s payment to the owner and the other 30 per cent will remain for administrative spending. The owner will be able to return to the cultivation of his/her land at any time, through a written declaration, submitted to local public authorities.     
Another novelty of the Code deals with the use of the automated information system for preserving the data about the lands. The information within the system will be updated in a 30-day term after the decision on the change of the land’s purpose or the ways of its use is taken. Presently, the information is collected by APL on papers and is annually submitted to the Land Relations and Cadastre Agency.