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Policy recommendations

  1. In preparation for the liberalization of land markets once the transitional arrangements on EU accession come to an end, the Central and Eastern European countries should prepare detailed spatial planning policies for each rural area that examine:

    as the impact of the liberalization of land markets is likely to vary over relatively short distances owing to factors such as accessibility, potential agricultural productivity and amenity values. Many of the policy measures that may be effective in taking advantage of opportunities or minimizing the impact of threats may best be implemented at the level of local or regional authorities, including the denial and granting of development consent, the encouragement of development in particular localities through development briefs and the assembly of development sites using powers of compulsory purchase, and investment in infrastructure.

  2. The transition periods offer opportunities to encourage the restructuring of rural businesses so that they become more competitive with those in Western Europe, including increasing the size of farms and diversification of activities. Policies to achieve these goals can include:

  3. As FADN and the agricultural census are operated by the Member States, with standardized data being supplied to the Commission, there is an opportunity to customize these so that they collect additional data that are not required by the EU but which would be of value in informing land policies. This could include:

  4. As land prices, rents and transactions are likely to be indicators of change and economic pressures, governments should consider setting up ways of collecting and analysing these in a systematic fashion.

  5. Governments should consider developing the IACS system into a land tenure database by adding ownership data to those on occupancy required for CAP purposes.


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