Publication

This paper addresses the effects of provisions that restrict the acquisition of agricultural land or forests by foreigners in seven EU member states that joined the Union in 2004. It examines the extent to which these restrictions affect the efficiency of land exchange, land allocation and productivity and asks whether the factors and concerns underlying these regulations are still influential. The paper concludes that the restrictions on foreign ownership have affected the efficiency of land exchanges and productivity growth, yet the impact is mitigated by several factors.