L’oggetto dell’articolo riguarda le restrizioni, presenti nell’ordinamento giuridico polacco, all’acquisto di azioni e quote da parte di stranieri nelle società proprietarie di immobili agricoli (usufrutto perpetuo). La Polonia, come alcuni Paesi dell’UE, ha introdotto specifiche limitazioni alla compravendita degli immobili, ricorrendo sia agli strumenti di diritto privato sia a quelli di diritto pubblico nell’esercitarne il controllo. Il grado di ingerenza da parte del legislatore polacco nelle operazioni di acquisto e vendita di azioni e quote delle società commerciali è stato valutato dal punto di vista giuridico, sulla base della legge in materia di acquisto degli immobili da parte di stranieri e di quella sul regime agricolo.
EN
The subject of this article is restrictions on the acquisition by foreigners of shares in companies that are owners (perpetual usufructuaries) of agricultural real estate under the Polish legal system. Poland, similarly to some other EU Member States, has restricted the freedom to trade in real estate and introduced control over this trade through the use of instruments from the private as well as public law sphere. The degree of interference by the Polish legislator in trading in shares of commercial companies has been assessed basing on the Act on the acquisition of real estate by foreigners and the Act on the shaping of the agricultural system.
La legge del 2003 sul regime agricolo è stata approvata come risposta al timore di vedere gli stranieri provenienti dall’UE acquistare terreni agricoli. Le stesse paure hanno determinato l’inasprimento delle restrizioni alla compravendita di terreni agricoli nel 2016. Tuttavia, la loro efficacia – dal punto di vista degli obiettivi articolati molto più ampiamente nella legge menzionata – è insignificante. È difficile parlare del conseguimento dell’obiettivo di base, cioè quello di ampliare la superficie delle aziende agricole, poiché nell’arco di 15 anni a partire dalla sua entrata in vigore, lo Stato polacco, su scala nazionale, ha acquisito – richiamandosi alla legge in esame – soltanto circa 20 000 ettari di fondi agricoli. In più, il requisito di possedere qualifiche agricole, correlato con un altro fine prefissato nella legge (ovvero assicurare, nelle aziende agricole, lo svolgimento di attività agricola da parte di persone con qualifiche appropriate) dovrebbe essere considerato, nelle odierne condizioni socio-economiche, irrazionale e allo stesso tempo come un requisito che viola le libertà fondamentali tutelate dalla Costituzione. In termini concreti, la legge menzionata consente comunque di impedire un’eccessiva concentrazione di fondi agricoli, vietandone l’acquisizione oltre i 300 ettari, sebbene non nella misura massima.
EN
The Act of 2003 on shaping the agricultural system was adopted following the concerns about potential acquisition of agricultural land by citizens from EU Member States. The same fears determined the tightening of restrictions on the ownership of agricultural land adopted in 2016. However, the effectiveness of these restrictions – from the point of view of the objectives articulated much more widely in the Act can hardly be noticed. The basic objective, which was to improve the area structure of agricultural holdings, has not really been achieved since during the 15 years of the operation of the Act, the State purchased only about 20 thousand hectares of agricultural land pursuant to its provisions. Further, the requirement underlying another objective of the Act (i.e. ensuring that agricultural activity is carried out in agricultural holdings by persons with appropriate qualifications) seems unreasonable in contemporary social and economic conditions and, what is more, it violates fundamental freedoms protected by the Constitution. Realistically, the Act has successfully albeit only partially achieved its third basic objective, which was to counteract excessive concentration of agricultural land, limiting the acquisition of agricultural land of an area exceeding 300 ha.
PL
Ustawę z 2003 r. o kształtowaniu ustroju rolnego przyjęto ze względu na obawy przed nabywaniem gruntów rolnych przez cudzoziemców z UE. Te same obawy przesądziły o zaostrzeniu ograniczeń w obrocie własnościowym gruntami rolnymi w 2016 r. Jednakże efektywność tych ograniczeń – z punktu widzenia celów o wiele szerzej wyartykułowanych w ustawie – jest znikoma. Trudno bowiem mówić o realizowaniu podstawowego celu, jakim jest poprawianie struktury obszarowej gospodarstw rolnych, skoro w okresie 15 lat działania ustawy państwo nabyło w skali kraju – na jej podstawie – tylko ok. 20 tys. ha gruntów rolnych. Powiązany z kolejnym celem ustawy (tj. zapewnieniem prowadzenia działalności rolniczej w gospodarstwach rolnych przez osoby o odpowiednich kwalifikacjach) wymóg posiadania kwalifikacji rolniczych należy zaś uważać, we współczesnych uwarunkowaniach społeczno-gospodarczych, za nieracjonalny, a jednocześnie naruszający podstawowe wolności chronione konstytucyjnie. Ustawa umożliwia realizowanie trzeciego podstawowego celu, jakim jest przeciwdziałanie nadmiernej koncentracji nieruchomości rolnych, ograniczając nabywanie nieruchomości rolnych ponad 300 ha, aczkolwiek nie w pełnym zakresie.
The aim of the deliberations is an assessment of certain solutions contained in the amendment to the Act on the shaping of the agricultural system in Poland, which entered into force on 16 October 2023. Among other things, the author concludes that the introduced amendments do not fully resolve the fundamental problems related to the interpretation of the Act. The solutions concerning the scope of exemptions from trading restrictions applicable to close family members, or transformations of businesses are imprecise and therefore cannot be given an unequivocal positive assessment. Repeated amendments to the Act (there have been 21 amendments since 2016) make the interpretation of its provisions increasingly complex. Therefore, a new law needs to be enacted, which will define precisely the framework of restrictions on the trading in agricultural real estate, implementing at the same time the constitutional protection of the family holding. This is a huge task for the legislator and for the doctrine of agricultural law in Poland.
PL
Celem rozważań jest ocena niektórych rozwiązań zawartych w nowelizacji ustawy o kształtowaniu ustroju rolnego, która weszła w życie 16 października 2023 r. Autor stwierdził między innymi, że wprowadzone zmiany nie rozstrzygają w pełni zasadniczych problemów związanych z interpretacją ustawy. Rozwiązania dotyczące zakresu wyłączeń z ograniczeń obrotu, osób bliskich czy też przekształceń spółek handlowych są nieprecyzyjne i nie pozwalają na jednoznaczną pozytywną ocenę. Kolejne zmiany regulacji ustawowej (od 2016 r. było 21 nowelizacji) powodują, że interpretacja jej przepisów staje się coraz bardziej złożona. Dlatego konieczne jest uchwalenie nowej ustawy, która w sposób precyzyjny, a jednocześnie realizujący konstytucyjną ochronę gospodarstwa rodzinnego określi ramy ograniczeń w obrocie nieruchomościami rolnymi. Jest to ogromne zadanie dla ustawodawcy i dla doktryny prawa rolnego w Polsce.
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