Learning German experience: how to overcome corruption in land relations

     Students and teachers of Faculty of Land Management of NUBIP of Ukraine have been studying German experience of regulating land relations and considering actual problems of the area for the last few years. Due to the cooperation with Company of land management and sales (Bodenverwertungs- und -verwaltungs GmbH) which has more than 200, 000 hectares of agricultural land of federal property in Eastern Germany and Association “Land Unity of Ukraine” another international scientific seminar “Transparency and prevention of corruption in management of land resources” was held at Faculty of Land Management on October, 26, 2016.

     A representative of international department of BVVG, Christoph Konrad Gilgen and authorised officer of BVVG to combat corruption Ulrike Meyer-Everlo spoke at the seminar. The following questions were considered: 1) defining the term “corruption” and German understanding of this term; 2) levels and types of corruption; 3) spheres of land management in Germany which are prone to corruption; a protective mechanism of corruption prevention with reference to legislation and administrative practice in the system of administration of land resources in Germany; means of corruption prevention and procedural rules to provide transparency in the work of BVVG.

     It should be mentioned that the room where the workshop took place was overcrowded. Some presentations were discussed actively. In the discussion not only teachers and students took part but practicing engineers and land managers who were undergoing training at Faculty of Land Management. Ukrainian and German specialists discussed differences in defining corruption and levels of corruption in Germany and in Ukraine. Instruments which help to enhance the transparency of the system of administrating land resources and to limit corruption were discussed.

     The seminar, without any doubt, turned to be extremely interesting as in Ukraine the sphere of land relations belong to one of the most corrupted spheres of state management. An essential difference between corruption demonstration in Ukraine and in Germany cannot but be mentioned. German colleagues said that the most popular way of bribery in their country is tickets to a football match.

Nataliia Medynska,
Vice dean of Faculty of land management