Govt 'committed to keeping Hungary's land in Hungarian hands'

The government is committed to making sure that Hungarian farmland remains in the hands of Hungarians, government office chief Janos Lazar said on Thursday, commenting on a recent ruling by the EU court on "pocket contracts". The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Tuesday ruled that the Hungarian legislation terminating usufruct contracts with foreign beneficiaries violates the European Union principle of the free movement of capital. Hungary will observe the court ruling, Lazar said. He added, however, that the Hungarian prime minister had asked the farm minister to draft legislation with the aim of preventing foreign private individuals or business entities from acquiring Hungarian farmland by means of "pocket contracts" or contracts allowing usufruct rights.