Guidelines to Member States on sales of farmland

Background and further information:

This Commission Interpretative Communication refers to the benefits and challenges of foreign investment in agricultural land. It further outlines the applicable EU law as well as the related jurisprudence of the CJEU. Finally, the Communication draws some general conclusions from the jurisprudence on how to achieve legitimate public interests in conformity with EU law.

The Communication thus aims at informing the debate on foreign investment in farmland, assisting Member States that are in the process of adjusting their legislation or may wish to do so at a later stage, as well as helping to promote the wider dissemination of best practices in this complex area. At the same time, it responds to the European Parliament's request to publish guidance on how to regulate agricultural land markets in conformity with EU law.

The European Commission issued on 12 October 2017 an interpretative Communication on the Acquisition of Farmland, aiming to support Member States in the protection of agricultural land from threats such as excessive price speculation and ownership concentration.

EUR-Lex: C/2017/6168: Commission Interpretative Communication on the Acquisition of Farmland and European Union Law http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52017XC1018(01)

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