Constitutional Court puts off hearings on farmland market indefinitely

Former Ukrainian Member of Parliament Oleksiy Mushak says the Grand Chamber of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU) has put off the consideration of the case initiated by 48 lawmakers to probe whether the law on the farmland market is in line with the Constitution.

"Constitutional hearings on the farmland market have begun today. The court must decide whether a Ukrainian citizen has the right to freely manage land or not," Mushak said on Facebook on September 29.

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"The court began the session and then immediately announced its postponement to an unspecified date. Therefore, many long-lasting debates on land-related issues are ahead," he added.

Background

• On April 28, 2020, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill into law to amend certain legislative acts of Ukraine on the conditions of circulation of farmland No. 552-IX, which was approved by the Verkhovna Rada on March 31, 2020.
• On May 4, forty-eight lawmakers submitted a motion to the Constitutional Court on the constitutionality of certain provisions of that law and the Land Code.
• On May 21, the Constitutional Court received another submission from 53 lawmakers to declare the law on the farmland market unconstitutional.