BUCHAREST, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday voiced his concern about the large percent of the country's farmland being owned by foreigners, suggesting amendments to relevant legislation to curb this trend.
"An element of extraordinary importance for Romania is who owns the country's farmland?" he stressed, revealing that "30 percent of Romania's farmland is in the hands of people other than Romanians."
"For me, personally, this share is worrisome," Iohannis told the debate "The President of Romania in dialogue with farmers," organized at the INDAGRA international agricultural fair opened on Wednesday in Bucharest.
Iohannis stressed that it cannot go on like this forever, "we can sort out this highly sensitive situation through a legislation that protects us, but is at the same time European."
Foreigners have been able to hold title to land via Romanian registered companies, while EU/EEA (European Economic Area) citizens resident in Romania have had direct access to land.
Romania has some 14 million hectares of farmland at present, of which 10 million hectares in use.
Some 3 million hectares of farmland in Romania have been purchased by Italian, Danish, German, Norwegian, Dutch, Hungarian and Lebanese citizens, believed local analysts.
Amid worries about the high rate of foreign purchases, the Romanian authorities are considering amendments to the existing law, imposing new conditions on foreigners buying farmland in Romania.
Under a new law proposal, foreign companies will only be able to buy agricultural land there, if 90 percent of their employees are Romanian, or if Romanian companies hold at least 30 percent of the capital, and if the buyers maintain agriculture as a main activity object.
To buy agricultural land, the individual must prove at least one of the following: knowledge in the agricultural field, performance of agricultural activities for at least five years, or performance of agricultural activities on the lands located outside city limits held on the date the law came into force.
According to the draft, an individual may acquire agricultural land located outside city limits up to a threshold of 100 hectares.
