Gallery: Landowners protest compensation, restrictions outside Riigikogu
Landowners and forest owners traveled to Tallinn on Wednesday to hold a protest outside the Riigikogu to draw attention to state restrictions and levels of compensation.
The event was organized by associations representing the agricultural and forestry sectors, hunters and landowners.
The protestors called for quick and fair compensation for forest owners whose land is subject to natural protection restrictions, a 10 percent cap on land tax rates, and to stop creating restrictions on private land use.
The demonstrators also demanded the replacement of privately owned forests under state protection with state-owned commercial forests.
Ants Erik, chairman of the board of the Estonian Private Forest Union (Metsaühistu), handed over to Lauri Hussar, the speaker of the Riigikogu, proposals for necessary amendments to the law.
"The large number of landowners who came from all over Estonia clearly demonstrates that the problems of restrictions are acute and affect landowners everywhere, regardless of where they live," Erik said.
"While many landowners want the perfectly normal thing – the right to live, work, and do business on the land they own – this is no longer so self-evident. People start to feel that their lives and their wishes count for nothing when it comes to decision-making."
According to Estonia's statistical forest inventory, 50,000 hectares of private forests are under strict protection, with an additional 150,000 hectares under less strict protection. With the state-imposed restrictions, landowners can either not use their land at all to generate income or can only do so partially.
Erik stressed that organizing a demonstration is not the end but the beginning. "Politicians have long ignored the inviolability of private property and landowners' rights, and the only way forward is to change the relevant laws in a way that reassures landowners that the state will take them into account," he said.
The Estonian Private Forest Union organized the demonstration, with the participation of the Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce (EPKK), the Estonian Farmers' Federation (ETKL), the Estonian Owners' Union (Eesti Omanike Keskliit), and the Lahemaa Landowners' Union (Lahemaa maaomanike liit). The Estonian Hunters' Society (EJS) and the Estonian Landowners' Association also announced their support for the demonstration.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Kristina Kersa
