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Bulgarian court annuls ban on land sales to foreigners

28 January 2014, 19:43 CET
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(SOFIA) - Bulgaria's top court Tuesday quashed a controversial ban on land sales to foreigners approved by parliament last year, amid concerns the move violated Bulgaria's EU commitments.

"Parliament breached basic constitutional principles -- that Bulgaria has a rule of law... governed by the constitution and the law of the European Union," the constitutional court ruled.

Foreigners who were not permanent residents were initially banned from acquiring land in the EU's poorest member for seven years, under a moratorium negotiated by Bulgaria before it joined the EU in 2007.

But its parliament voted last October to extend the deal until 2020, in a move proposed by the nationalist Ataka party and backed by left- and right-wing lawmakers.

The decision caused an uproar in the local media with legal experts saying it went against the constitution and Bulgaria's EU accession treaty commitments.

Tuesday's ruling was widely expected after a recent statement by Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski that the bill was "a bad decision" and "will be reviewed".


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