Ukraine president calls for approving farmland market ASAP

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called for approving
legislation to launch the farmland market as soon as possible in his annual
address to Ukraine’s parliament on Sept. 7. He called upon MPs to determine the
launch date since free trading of farmland will be “the fastest and most
hopeful way to attract a decent amount of foreign investment in Ukraine.”
Approving the legislation “that would at least remove the phobias” in society
about the farmland market. It should include necessary restrictions, minimal
prices, transparent registers and protections for villagers, he said.

Zenon Zawada: Poroshenko
wants to take advantage of the last remaining window for reforms – lasting
about six months – before the election campaign season begins in spring 2018
and makes approving controversial legislation virtually impossible. We don’t
see the political will being present in parliament to approve the legislation,
given how deep public opposition is to creating the farmland market. We even
suspect that the president himself is reluctant to get his faction to pursue
the legislation, given that his populist challengers will exploit the issue to
gain voters.