Until the end of this year, the land laws of Ukraine will undergo serious changes aimed at enhancing the involvement of agricultural and non-agricultural land in the economic cycle.

State Land Agency Chairman Serhiy Tymchenko disclosed this in his speech on land reform and its impact on investment climate during the Ukrainian Investment Summit at Grange St Paul's Hotel in London, the agency's website reported.

"First and foremost, this is going to be legislative regulation of the land auctions procedure, which would make it possible to buy free plots of non-agricultural land and the rights to lease of agricultural and nonagricultural land on an open competitive market, which will finally open for the investor a legal and transparent access to Ukrainian land," the head of the land agency said.

According to him, it is also planned to hold legislative regulation of farmland consolidation into single investment-attractive and easy for cultivation arrays. Both the owners of the land and the tenants will be able to initiate such a consolidation, he said.

"At the first stage, the consolidation will be only voluntary, and will involve only privately owned agricultural land. Further on, the consolidation institute will be adapted to the European practice. Appropriate consultations are intensively conducted with Dutch partners," Serhiy Tymchenko said.

Ukrinform