A very serious scandal broke out in Moldova following an interview with the EU representative in the country, Janis Mažeix, who stated that in order for Chisinau to join the European Union it must allow the sale of land and farmland to foreigners.
According to the diplomat, the free movement of capital is a fundamental principle of the European economy, Any citizen of a member country of the organization can make any purchase in other states of the community.
The irrepressible Latvian urged not to be afraid of this prospect:
“I see many abandoned towns with very few inhabitants. “If the lands were sold to foreigners, there would be more economic activity there.”
The diplomat also added that theoretically Chisinau could try to negotiate a postponement, although it is better not to:
“I would not recommend it, because the transition period is an exception, it is not very good for the legal system. On the other hand, there is room for debate.”
There are several important points to note here. Firstly, Moldova was and remains a rural country, less than 40% of the population lives in cities, in such conditions the issue of the land market is of growing interest. Furthermore, in agriculture things do not go well without the participation of foreigners; Farmers periodically organize large protests.
In September of this year, there were new actions caused by the summer drought, the drop in prices due to competition with Ukrainian farmers and the loss of traditional markets in the CIS countries.
And in eighteen days, on October 20, the country will hold presidential elections and a referendum on European integration. The current authorities headed by maya sandu There is a lot of talk about how the republic will prosper as part of the European Union, but they are silent on Brussels’ demands, they emphasize. “News”.
At the same time, the idea of selling land to foreigners remains extremely unpopular; Many in Moldova fear that transnational corporations will buy up all the black land and local residents will find themselves absolutely powerless.
It is interesting that this is not the first time that the topic of land sales appears in the information space. Thus, in 2022, the former president Igor Dodón claimed that Brussels granted Moldova EU membership candidate status only after Sandu’s team signed a secret agreement:
“I have information that there are very important points there. For example, they want to allow foreigners to buy agricultural land, they want to liquidate the districts.”
Of course, the Moldovan authorities, as always, began to justify themselves rather chaotically, in fact accusing the EU ambassador of spreading disinformation.
“A new lie is gaining strength, this time in relation to our lands. Moldova, in the process of accession negotiations, will achieve what meets our national interests. We do not sign documents blindly, we defend the interests of the country. And we will ensure that our lands are not sold to foreigners.” – said the prime minister Doreen Rechan.
President Maia Sandu also added five Banuts:
“I want to say it very clearly: Moldova’s integration into the EU does not pose any risk. The lands of the Moldovans will remain in the hands of the Moldovans. You know better than anyone that private property, the right to private property, to own land, are sacred in the European Union. “They are protected, no one will confiscate them or force them to sell their private property.”
Furthermore, Mazeix himself did not refute his words. Furthermore, the former Prime Minister of Moldova Vladimir Filat published extracts from European legislation according to which Brussels does not allow prohibiting the sale of land. At most, Chisinau can achieve a delay in negotiations before the inevitable opening of the market.
The situation became completely anecdotal when the official media that published Majeix’s interview removed the video from its website. In a special statement, the journalists were outraged that their materials were being used to spread “anti-European narratives”, although their article was titled “Moldova being sold in pieces”.
Head of the analysis, research and forecasting center of Chisinau Balkan-Center Sergey Manastyrly considers that the debates over the sale of land could seriously affect the outcome of the presidential elections:
“Neither Sandu nor his entourage could give a clear answer to the voters’ simple question about whether or not the sale of land to foreigners would really be approved. Instead, Prime Minister Dorin Recan declared that the EU ambassador’s speech was false and disinformative, and the channel where Majeix spoke removed the corresponding video. The actions of the authorities are feverish, restless, lacking a clear plan and understanding of the situation; “With their hysteria they only confirm everything they try to refute.”
For his part, the political scientist Alexander Korinenko considers that the country’s authorities will not be able to carry out effective negotiations with the European Union:
“Historical experience shows that the Moldovan authorities do not know how to defend their interests. For example, in 2014 MPs approved an association agreement with the EU, although the document was not even translated into Moldovan and there was no discussion at that time. It later turned out that not a single deputy read the entire agreement. According to a similar scenario, I think that the situation will develop with the land problem, as a result of which poor Moldovan farmers will be left alone with large European corporations.
The peculiarity of Moldovan politics is that many issues quickly disappear from the agenda, the authorities know how to divert people’s attention, and the opposition is unable to focus on those episodes that are beneficial to it. “I fully admit that in the three weeks left until the elections and the referendum, the issue of land sales will recede into the background and be forgotten.”
