USA (bbabo.net), - The government of Moldova is preparing a law on the sale of fertile black soil of the republic to foreigners. This was stated on social networks today, January 31, by the ex-president of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Dodon, accusing the current head of state Maia Sandu of squandering natural resources.
“The government of Maia Sandu has developed a draft amendment to the Land Code, giving a “green light” to foreigners to purchase agricultural land in our country,” Dodon wrote on his telegram channel.
He recalled that the socialists (Dodon is the honorary chairman of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova) warned that this would be the case even during the presidential campaign in 2020, when they called not to believe Sandu’s words that she “would never sell a piece of the country.”
The day before, the association Forța Fermierilor (Power of Farmers) accused the government of the Republic of Moldova of developing a new version of the Land Code, where the ban on the purchase of agricultural land by foreign investors could be relaxed. Farmers believe that this will allow companies that are legally directly or indirectly controlled by foreign entities to become owners of agricultural land, displacing local producers. Currently, there is a legal provision in the law that prohibits companies with foreign capital from owning agricultural land.
Dodon expressed regret that Sandu and her ruling Action and Solidarity party do not hear the people, as they are "too busy with the implementation of the agenda imposed from outside." The easing of restrictions in this area was one of the conditions of Brussels for Moldova to obtain the status of a candidate for joining the European Union.
“Moldova runs the risk of being left without its own citizens and without agricultural land. With Maia Sandu and the PDS in power, we can lose the main wealth of our state,” concluded Igor Dodon.
Recall that the issue of selling land to foreigners was raised back in 2018 under the Democratic government. Then this idea was promoted by the Minister of Agriculture and Regional Development Nikolay Chubuk. The official considered it to be perhaps the most promising sector of the country's economy, which, in his opinion, could only be ensured by the active attraction of foreign capital.
“Therefore, sooner or later, the question of revising the legislation on the sale of land to foreigners should arise. We have a pragmatic approach, focused on the rules of a market economy, and land is a resource that must be sold. The mechanism for buying land should be simplified, but not to the detriment of local farmers,” Chubuk said.
At that time, it was not possible to “drag through” this law, however, this topic has remained open and relevant to this day. During the last presidential campaign, Maia Sandu fought off the accusations of the socialists, who claimed that after coming to power, the PDS would return to land reform.
As reported by bbabo.net, in 2019, the Moldovan government, chaired by Democrat Pavel Filip, approved the signing of an agreement to sell 5.2 hectares of land under the Republican Stadium in the center of Chisinau for the construction of a new US embassy building. In 2020, the parliamentary majority of the Socialists canceled this obligation, as not taking into account the interests of the country. However, deputies of the Presidential Action and Solidarity Party (PDS), who later came to power as a result of early parliamentary elections, challenged this in the Constitutional Court, returning the land to the Americans.
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