LAND CONSOLIDATION IN CROATIA

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LAND CONSOLIDATION IN CROATIA

• MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
• Nikola Raguz
• December, 2005

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LAWS

• Land Consolidation Act from 1902
• Land Consolidation Act from 1979 is in force
• Prescribed proceedings consists of 15 steps
• Proceedings comprehensiveness results in its long
  duration
• Inheritance Act allows splitting of land parcels

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Implementation of Land Consolidation in the
Republic of Croatia

• 1923 1990
• 525 cadastral municipalities
• Space of 797.001 ha

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AGRICULTURAL AREAS IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

• 3.151.000 ha agricultural areas in the Republic
  of Croatia
• 46 plow fields and gardens
• 37 grazing land
• 13 meadows
• 4 orchards i vineyards

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Agricultural areas owned by the Republic of
Croatia

• 34 agricultural areas owned by the Republic of
  Croatia
• 22 plow fields
• 4 gardens
• 9 vineyards
• 15 grazing land

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Agricultural areas owned by the Republic of
Croatia

• Land owned by the Republic of Croatia is managed
  pursuant to the Agricultural Land Act, which is
  the legal frame for such land management as the
  lease, sale, concession, donation and servitude
  of usufruct.
• Property return requests are limited to the real
  estate that can be returned either by natural
  restitution or monetary compensation.

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Structure of Commercial Agricultural Estates
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REASONS FOR STOPPAGE IN LAND CONSOLIDATION

• After 1991 there was a partial stoppage in land
  consolidation implementation due to the following
  reasons
• Liberation war 1991-1995
• The most fertile land was returned to Croatia by
  peaceful means in 1998
• There was many mine fields left as the result of
  the war
• Inappropriate and obsolete legal frame for the
  modern market-oriented economy

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Agricultural Land Concentration Project of the
Republic of Croatia

• Pilot Project of the Government of the Kingdom of
  Sweden and the Republic of Croatia
• Initial phase minimum 7 months of the Pilot
  Project
• Implementation phase by the end of 2008

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Purpose of the Project

• Helping Croatian Government to establish
  appropriate administration
• Development of a supporting legal frame
• Harmonizing all efforts regarding agricultural
  land concentration
• Enlargement of small family farms

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Expected Project Results

• Development of a rational policy and operative
  land concentration model
• Establishment of the necessary legal frame
• Testing and determining of administrative
  structure
• Development of the agricultural sector and viable
  life in rural areas of the Republic of Croatia.
• Aim the Project at the poverty in rural areas and
  achieve a socially balanced progress
• Achievement of a significant improvement in
  concentration of small parcels and enlargement of
  family farms.

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CONCLUSIONS

• The existing legal frame is inappropriate for a
  successful land consolidation because of long
  duration of the proceedings and possibility of
  splitting of land parcels
• It is necessary to streamline the laws in order
  to make the land consolidation proceedings more
  efficient, which will also accelerate the reform
  of the land registry and cadastre system and
  considerably limit the possibility of land
  parcels splitting