The EuroDebates "Free Land Turnover: Pro & Contra" were held at the initiative of the European Business Association on 27 March, 2008. The EBA was once again the initiator of a discussion between representatives of business and the authorties on an appropriate platform.   
  

This time the session focused on discussing day-to-day topical issues regarding the Land Market in Ukraine that remain unsolved for the EBA community. In particular:

• Land Moratorium;
• Article 82 of the Land Code of Ukraine;
• Latest Resolution by Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No 90, which approved the Regulations on Holding Land Auctions as of 22.02.08;
• Practical experience of foreign companies (KNAUF Insulation and URSA Grupo Uralita), which are EBA members, in terms of land acquisition/rent.

The answers to the most burning issues were given by the key speakers of the EuroDebates, namely:

1.      Mr Mykhailo HARBUZ, Deputy Head of the State Land Resources Agency;

2.      Mr Roman SHMIDT, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine;

3.      Mr Mykola PRYSIAZHNIUK, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Head of the Committee on Agrarian Policy and Land Relations, (Party of Regions Faction);

4.      Mr Roman TKACH, Secretary of the Committee on Agrarian Policy and Land Relations, (Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence Faction).

 

About 50 representatives of the diplomatic corps, national and international business circles operating in Ukraine, public organizations and mass media also took part in the EBA EuroDebates. During the EuroDebates all guests took an active part in the discussion by expressing their views and posing questions.

 

During the EuroDebates the European Business Association officially handed over its analytical report, which is called In Close up: Land Property Rights for consideration to representatives of the legislative and executive branches of power of Ukraine. On the basis of this report the draft law “On introducing amendments to Article 82 of the Land Code” will be submitted in the near future and an explanatory note to it, which was developed with the participation of all member companies of the Association. In order to speed up the promotion and adoption of the said draft law, the Secretary of the Committee on Agrarian Policy and Land Relations of Ukraine proposed to representatives of the EBA and mass media that they, together with their representatives, visit all the necessary state agencies, collect the necessary signatures and undertake direct monitoring of the process.

 

Thanks to the heated, interesting discussion at the EBA’s EuroDebates, participants were able to hear at first hand for themselves forecasts as to WHEN will the first practical steps be taken to solve the problems of the land market of Ukraine and, to be more precise, in particular when will draft laws on the land market and state land cadastre be adopted? In line with unanimous forecasts made by guest speakers, the problems raised at the EuroDebates may be solved by voting on a package of draft laws in Parliament by the end of July 2008.

 

However, those company representaitves who were present expressed doubt about such optimism. At the same time tey said that they hoped that the EurodeDates to be held in 2009 on land issues would discuss different topics.