The local governments and the Land Board are the implementers and direct organisers of the land reform. Directing, coordinating, and controlling the implementation of the land reform is one of the areas of activity and tasks of the Land Board.
The main land reform activities of the Land Board are:
- advising and controlling local governments and other authorities on land reform activities;
- performing tasks related to the transfer of land to municipal ownership and to land subject to municipal ownership;
- arranging the financing of the return of land at the state’s expense;
- identifying the land to be left in the ownership of the state, together with the necessary steps for leaving the land in the ownership of the state;
- organising the privatisation of land, transfer of usufruct of agricultural land, and establishment of the right of superficies on state land in favour of the owner of the building;
- participating in the land reform legislation.
The land reform that began in Estonia in 1991 was based on the Land Reform Act that entered into force on 1 November 1991. The purpose of the land reform is to transfer land to private ownership, while respecting both the rights of former owners and the interests of land users. It also aims to create the preconditions for more efficient use of land.
By early 2019, approximately 99% of the land area had been reformed. More detailed statistics on the land reform is available on the website of the Land Board.
The land reform has laid the foundations for the development of civilian land turnover, which, in turn, is one of the foundations of the market economy. It is safe to say that the real estate market created by the land reform has significantly influenced the development of the Estonian economy.
More information about land reform is available on the Land Board’s homepage.