Law on Land Privatisation in Rural Areas.

The Law lays down rules for privatisation of land in rural areas. The main tasks of land privatisation are to create the basis and guarantees for agricultural development; to restore the land ownership rights to the former owners of land, which belonged to them on 21 July 1940 or to the heirs thereof; and to transfer land into ownership with remuneration to the citizens of the Republic of Latvia. Land privatisation in rural areas must be carried out, conforming to the following basic principles: land privatisation shall take place, in conformity with the Law On Land Reform in Rural Areas of the Republic of Latvia; upon privatisation of land, the lawful interests of the present owners of buildings and structures, users of land, as well as of the State and local governments must be observed; forests, perennial plants growing on it and surface waters, except the public waters, must be privatised together with land; land must be transferred into ownership to the citizens of the Republic of Latvia and to legal persons registered in Latvia; and land privatisation must take place on the basis of a request of the citizens of the Republic of Latvia or legal persons registered in Latvia, on a voluntary basis. Types of land privatisation are as follows: (a) the restoration of land ownership rights to the former owners of land or to the heirs thereof; and (b) the transfer of land ownership rights in return for payment to the citizens of the Republic of Latvia. The ownership rights to land shall be restored to the former owners of land or to the heirs thereof by returning in actual fact the former land property thereof or a part thereof or by transferring into ownership land of an equivalent value within the borders of the relevant parish or district or in other parishes of the Republic with the decision of a parish land commission from the non-requested land or the State or local government land. The former owners of land or the heirs thereof have the right to receive a compensation for the former land property or a part thereof in accordance with the procedures laid down in Chapter III of this Law.