On Introducing Additions and Amendments to Some Decrees of the President of the Republic of Belarus On Construction, Withdrawal and Allocation of Land Plots

President Alexander Lukashenko has signed Decree No 64 ‘On Introducing Additions and Amendments to Some Decrees of the President of the Republic of Belarus On Construction, Withdrawal and Allocation of Land Plots’.

The document is aimed at improving the regulation of the procedure of withdrawal and allocation of land plots, at further liberalisation of the Belarusian economy and at invigorating businesses.

The Decree abolishes auctions as a means of allocating land plots to businesses and individual entrepreneurs for building and servicing intangible property intended for production of goods, execution of works, and provision of services. This rule is aimed at attracting investment to the economy, first of all, to rural population centres, small and medium-sized towns, invigorating business activity and encouraging construction.

Auctions have been retained only in case land plots are allocated with the aim of building filling stations, and in the population centres with the number of residents being over 50,000 people, in accordance with the list of population centres approved by the Council of Ministers of Belarus by agreement with the Head of State in line with Ordinance No 1 of 28 January 2008 ‘On Stimulating the Production and Selling of Goods (Works, Services)’. As of today, there are 22 towns included on this list.

However, considering the special value of certain land plots and potential interest in them on the part of several investors, regional executive committees have been entitled to identify – taking into account interests of the state, local conditions and economic sense – population centres (parts of their territories) and other territories within which boundaries land plots will be allocated to legal entities and individual entrepreneurs only through auctions.

Besides, to cut investors’ financial expenditures and ensure attractiveness of investment in construction, district executive committees have been entitled to allow instalment plans to pay the land private ownership duty and land plot lease contracts. The plans will be provided for five years beginning from the day of commissioning of the new facilities built there.

The new terms of allotting land plots are entering into force on 1 May 2009.

Please see the Russian version of this site for the full text of the Decree