Hungary is ready to submit a detailed request for the extention of a moratorium preventing foreigners from purchasing arable land in the country, daily Nepszabadsag reported on Friday quoting a Farm Ministry official.
The government has nine months left to get the European Union’s approval on the extension of the ban, the paper said. An official request has not been submitted in Brussels so far, the paper added.
In line with the Copenhagen criteria, every EU country has seven years from the time of accession to restrict arable land purchase by foreigners. The deadline for Hungary is the spring of 2011 but if justified, the EU can extend the transitional period by three years, the paper said.
I do not get this. If some one from Germany wants to farm in Hungary I would consider that a positive development. Why get in the way?
Dear jts,
You ask a very important and meaningful question.
There are some cultures where the buying of real estate, especially farmland, by foreigners is accepted with more equanimity than in others. In the US for example, farmland is just an item of commerce, a “widget” for sale. It’s got value. has a price; are you a buyer? Got money? That’s all that matters! Nobody there cares if the purchaser of 10,000 acres of farmland is a foreigner or not.
In Europe, land is more than just candy for sale. It has great symbolic meaning. Our ancestors drenched that soil with their blood. The boundaries, and the size of every country in Europe was sealed by war and conflict! Hitler loved the expression “Blut und Boden” (Blood and soil). I didn’t totally understand his phrase until the vile, demented Balkan wars of the 90′s: every inch of soil claimed by any people is a claim built on a mountain of corpses. There are some things you can’t square with your checkbook.
In Europe, with it’s old civilization, the sountryside has great symbolic and cultural significance as the soul of the people and the preserver of a people’s ancient culture.
Finally, take into account the insecurity of a people who do not feel financially empowered, especially vis a vis the outside world. Selling off their land assets makes some paranoid that they are losing their country. Hungary has been invaded many times also. Those who want to buy into such an environment need to understand.
There can be some genuine concerns about the long
term effect of key national assets like land falling
into the hands of foreigners but really this is all
just xenophobia. Last week a guy gave the usual BS
about the jews from Israel and their masterplan to
take over Hungary. I tried to point out to him that
these are usually property investors who invest
their money in Hungary, in risky businesses,
generating jobs for Hungarians. They could easily
take their money elsewhere. Of course he didn’t buy
any of this. And he didn’t seem concerned about all
the Irish investors who were buying up property left
right and center a few years ago.