Companies@UA: База компаний Украины

Kyiv, July 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Recent legal initiatives in the land sphere in Ukraine create preconditions for the violation of private property rights under the shelter of so-called "social needs" or Ukraine's preparations for the Euro 2012 European football championship finals, according to lawyers polled by Interfax-Ukraine.

They discussed a law on land plot sales for social needs that was vetoed by the Ukrainian president, amendments to the law on the organization of hosting the Euro 2012 finals and other Ukrainian laws.

Roman Khrustenko, a lawyer and managing partner of the Ol&Rust Law Firm, said that the unclear wording and procedures in the law on land plot sales for social needs would create strong preconditions for the violation of private property rights due to the unclear interpretations of some articles of the law.

Lesia Kovtun, a lawyer of Volkov Koziakov and Partners law firm, said that the law opens a way to illegal manipulation of land plot distribution under the cover of Ukraine's hosting Euro 2012.

She said that the law vetoed by the president, in contrast to amendments to the law on preparations for the Euro 2012, defines the notion of "social necessity" and guarantees the observation of property rights during land plot sales.

"The president mentions the non-observation of constitutional guarantees on private property rights in the law. His logic when he signed amendments to the law on the Euro 2012, which set out the procedure for the purchase and forced sale of private property and leasing rights for Euro 2012 purposes, which is a legal way to deprive land plot owners of their property, is surprising," she said.

Kovtun said that the law on the Euro 2012 implies actually depriving owners of their property without their agreement, as the amendments do not foresee court procedures for the forced sale of land plots.