Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Experts from the Institute of Macroeconomic and Regional Research (IMRI) studied foreign experience in carrying out land reforms in the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia).

Land reform in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia had a common goal - the restoration of a land tenure structure based on private property.

Baltic countries

The overall political goal of land reform in all three countries was to restore the pre-war farming structure based on private land ownership. Thus, the restoration of property rights as they were in 1940 was chosen as the main focus of land reform in the three Baltic countries.

Lithuania

In Lithuania, the main laws regulating land reform were the Law on Land Reform and the Law on the Procedure and Conditions for Restoring Ownership Rights to Existing Real Estate.

Restitution could be in kind (i.e. return of old family land); equivalent (i.e. get another land); or through compensation (i.e. money).

The land restitution process in Lithuania consisted of the following stages:
• Analysis of the existing land use situation;
• Preparatory land management work;
• Preparation of land management plans as part of land reform;
• Publicity procedure and approval of the plan;
• Geodetic work in the fields;
• Preparation of legal documentation for property rights;
• Notarized approval and registration in the State Land Cadastre.

The preparation of a restitution plan was often complicated by the possibility of restitution in equivalent land. This option allowed eligible individuals to transfer their rights to land from one part of the country to another (for example, from where the family land was located in 1940 to where the heirs lived at the time of restitution).

The maximum area of land to be returned has increased over time. When this process began in 1991, a maximum of 50 hectares of agricultural land and 10 hectares of forest could be returned. In 1995, the maximum size increased to 80 hectares of agricultural land and 25 hectares of forests. Finally, in 1997, the maximum area of land that could be returned was increased to 150 hectares.

Results

From 1991 to 2008, property rights were restored to almost 4 million hectares or 97% of land in rural areas. A total of 715,000 people demanded the return of their land.

According to 2011 data, the average size of an agricultural holding was 5.3 hectares, and the average size of agricultural plots was 2.9 hectares.

Latvia

In Latvia, land ownership rights were restored based on the property situation on July 21, 1940. Cadastral maps and Land Register records for the period 1924-1940 were used as the basis for the restoration.

Land reform in Latvia is regulated by a number of laws, starting with the June 1990 decision of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia on agrarian reform in the Republic of Latvia. It stated that former landowners and their heirs, together with land users, could sue for the allocation of land for use.

The deadline for filing restitution claims was set for November 1996.

Former owners or their heirs, where possible, were returned to their original possessions. Alternatively, they could choose to obtain an equivalent plot of land of similar value elsewhere or receive monetary compensation for the value of the lost property.

Compensation was calculated based on land area, land use type and property location. Agricultural land was returned to a maximum limit of 100 hectares. In Latvia, restitution demands exceeded the area of available land by more than 25%.

Results

In 2005, 24% of the total amount of agricultural land was used under lease agreements. According to 2012 data, the average size of agricultural land plots in Latvia is relatively large - about 7.3 hectares.

Estonia

In Estonia, the goal of land reform was broader than in the other two Baltic countries. One of the goals was restitution to former owners, but also privatization through the sale of state land, as well as the transfer of state land to the ownership of local authorities and the determination that the land should remain in state ownership.

All these different goals of land reform were part of the same process. As a result, the land reform process in Estonia was probably more complex than in the other two countries. Many plots were claimed by more than one owner.

Results

In 2005, 54% of the total amount of agricultural land was used under lease agreements.

At the end of 2008, almost 90% of the lands subject to restitution and privatization were registered in the cadastre.
 
D. Ilyina,
IMRI project manager
A. Kim,
leading researcher at IMRI