Eastern Europe

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While land ownership has transformed in Eastern Europe over the last 25 years, this has happened at vastly different rates, and large tracts of agricultural land across the region are still owned by multinational investors. Together with increased poverty, lack of education, and migration of young people to Western European countries, this has weakened rural communities and left them exposed to speculative interests. The Eastern Europe Regional Focal Point is undertaking research on the problematic issues related to this, especially in terms of the impact on people and the environment.

Country profiles

Country profiles present national-level data of large-scale land acquisitions and transactions including who the investors are, what the aim of the investment is, who the former owner was and what the land was previously used for, and what the potential benefits and impacts of the land deals are.

By making this information available, the Land Matrix hopes to enhance broad engagement and data exchange, facilitating the continuous improvement of the data. Find out how to get involved here .

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Профіль країни: Україна

З 60 мільйонів гектарів (га) усієї території України 55 % є ріллею, що є найвищим показником в Європі. Загалом сільськогосподарські угіддя займають більше 70% території країни. Наявність величезних земельних ресурсів очікувано спричинила бурхливу дискусію стосовно того, як мають виглядати земельні відносини після розпаду Радянського Союзу. За часів Радянського Союзу земля …

Country profile: Ukraine

Of Ukraine’s 60 million hectares (ha) of total land area, 55% is classified as arable land, which is the highest ratio in Europe. While this incredible wealth of fertile land has earned Ukraine the title of the ‘breadbasket of Europe’, it has also caused intense debate on how land relations …

România profilul țării

Un profil detaliat al țarii, la capitolul achizițiilor de terenuri pe scară largă în România, este disponibil atât în limba engleză, cât și în limba română, precum și o hartă interactivă care detaliază încheierea de contracte de terenuri agricole în țară.

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News & publications

The impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine on the state of the country’s soil: Analysis results

Authors: Anastasiia Splodytel, Oleksandr Holubtsov, Serhii Chumachenko, and Liudmyla Sorokina
Published: 2023
Source: Ecoaction

Since 2014, Russia’s war against Ukraine has dramatically disrupted the soil environment and caused large-scale and long-term environmental degradation. This drastic change of landscape requires an immediate and comprehensive study, followed by the development of policies …

Land contamination as a result of Russia's aggression against Ukraine

Russia's war against Ukraine has provoked widespread and long-term degradation of the environment, including the soil ecosystem. Mined areas, shelling craters, landslides, destroyed military equipment in the fields, and more are all signals of serious soil disturbances with devastating consequences for both soil and human health. Without proper restoration, damaged …

Land deals in Ukraine amidst a war

Authors: Lorina Fedorova, Christoph Kubitza, and Danya-Zee Pedra

The Russian attack on Ukraine has upended the lives of millions of Ukrainians and is causing one of the most severe humanitarian crises in Europe in decades. Aside from the humanitarian threat, economic concerns have begun to surface as people start to …