Frontpage » News

Government wishes to end the system of settlement with nature conservation land

The government approved the draft amendment of the Nature Conservation Act and the State Assets Act proposed by the Minister of the Environment Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, according to which the State will end the possibility of settlement with nature conservation land on auctions. After enforcement of the Act, the State will only make purchase and sale transactions with the land. In addition to that, a rule will enter into force that the State will only have an obligation to purchase protected land if the restrictions have been imposed to it after a private owner purchases the land.

The aim of the amendment is to make the State’s land transactions more transparent. ”The current procedure of settlement with lands with nature conservation restrictions has caused many questions, and there are also doubts about ensuring equal treatment of land owners. That is why we will end settlement with nature conservation land when selling State land. It means that from now on, the State will purchase registered immovables with significant nature conservation restrictions only by purchase and sale transactions and for money,” the Minister of the Environment Keit Pentus-Rosimannus said.

After abrogation of settlement, the speed of receiving compensation for a registered immovable with conservational restrictions will not depend on whether the land owner can or wants to participate in the State’s real estate auction, and the applications for purchase will be dealt with in accordance with the order of their submission.

In addition to ending settlements, the bases for repurchasing land with conservational restrictions will become fairer. Under the amendment draft, the State is not obligated to purchase land with conservational restrictions if the land has been purchased with the conservational restrictions. ”If the natural value has been discovered after the owner bought the land, it is absolutely justified that the State would repurchase the protected land, if necessary. At the same time, if the undertaking or a person has purchased the land knowing that it is under protection, I do not consider it justified to purchase the land with the taxpayer’s money. Buying of  land that has publicly known restrictions has been an informed choice of the owner and the taxpayer does not have to pay for it,” Pentus-Rosimannus noted.

According to the Minister of the Environment, the amendment significantly accelerates the waiting list of land repurchasing as to those land owners to the land of whom the restrictions have been applied after purchasing of the land.