On Friday, February 13, 2015 a debate on a new law on agricultural land ownership was held at Expo Georgia. The debate was organized by USAID’s G4G project and ISET. The debate’s panel comprised government officials, experts, foreign investors and businesses, and the event was moderated by Eric Livny, Director of the International School of Economics. The panel convened to explore issues surrounding foreign ownership of agricultural land in Georgia.
In 2013, the Georgian government imposed a temporary moratorium on the acquisition of agricultural land by foreigners.
A year later, this moratorium was struck down by Georgia’s Constitutional Court. In response to the Court’s decision, the government developed a new policy on agricultural land ownership, which has been submitted to Parliament and is awaiting consideration. The panel discussed the problems the law aims to solve, what potential problems could arise, whether the law protects poor Georgians not only from foreigners but also from rich Georgians, etc. The debate generated a lot of discussion.
