On May 22, 2018, the European Court of Human Rights (hereinafter – ECHR) passed a judgment in the case of Zelenchuk and Tsytsyura v. Ukraine by which it held that the legislation of Ukraine establishing the moratorium on agricultural land sale violates Article 1 of Protocol No.1 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”). This Judgment caused an outcry among the public in general and in the professional environment in particular, and therefore will probably trigger a wave of new publicistic and scientific research focused on whether the moratorium should be lifted. Actually, the article will be centered on the issue of ensuring the balance between public interests and owner’s interests in case the agricultural land sale moratorium is established. The purpose of the article is to determine the proportionality criteria of the agricultural land sale moratorium as a restriction of the property right in accordance with the ECHR case law. It was found that Ukraine’s legislation establishing the agricultural land sale moratorium does not meet the requirements of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention, but this does not imply that the State of Ukraine should immediately lift the moratorium and introduce an open market of agricultural lands. Instead, the State of Ukraine has a choice: either to lift the moratorium and thereby eliminate the interference with the property right, or to keep the moratorium in force or replace it with alternative measures, at the same time eliminating the violation of the Convention. In any case, Ukraine should adopt appropriate regulations and (or) apply other general measures to ensure a fair balance between the interests of agricultural land owners, on the one part, and general public interests, on the other part, in accordance with the principles of proprietary rights protection. To achieve this, the following is required: 1) to eliminate the legal uncertainty of relevant legislation by establishing clear time limits of validity of the moratorium or other restrictive measures which may be implemented as an alternative to it; 2) to ensure that the moratorium or alternative restrictive measures are proportionate to the stated goal of creating a land market by gradually reducing such bans and restrictions; 3) to lift the excessive burden on agricultural land owners by introducing flexible restrictions which may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

List of legal documents 
 

Legislation 
1. Vysnovok shchodo vidpovidnosti proektu vymoham antykoruptsiinoho zakonodavstva [Conclusion on the Compliance of the Project with the Requirements of the Anticorruption Legislation] vid 16 travnia 2018 r. URL: http://w1.c1.rada.gov.ua/pls/ zweb2/webproc34?id=&pf3511=60724&pf35401=455004 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
2. Vysnovok shchodo vidpovidnosti proektu vymoham antykoruptsiinoho zakonodavstva [Conclusion on the Compliance of the Project with the Requirements of the Anticorruption Legislation] vid 16 travnia 2018 r. URL: http://w1.c1.rada.gov.ua/pls/ zweb2/webproc34?id=&pf3511=60829&pf35401=454996 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
3. Zemelnyi kodeks Ukrainy [Land Code of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 25 zhovtnia 2001 r. № 2768-III. URL: http://zakon5.rada.gov.ua/laws/ show/2768-14 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
4. Podatkovyi kodeks Ukrainy [Tax Code of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 2 hrudnia 2010 r. № 2755-VI. URL: http://zakon2.rada.gov.ua/laws/ show/2755-17 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
5. Pro vnesennia zmin do deiakykh zakonodavchykh aktiv Ukrainy [On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 3 chervnia 2008 r № 309-VI. URL: http://zakon5.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/309-17 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
6. Pro vnesennia zmin do deiakykh zakonodavchykh aktiv Ukrainy [On Amendments to the Land Code of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 3 chervnia 2008 r. № 3415-IV. URL: http://zakon5.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/3415-15 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
7. Pro orendu zemli [On lease of land]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 6 zhovtnia 1998 r. № 161-XIV. URL: http://zakon5.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/161-14/ print1525502251616658 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
8. Pro poriadok vydilennia v naturi (na mistsevosti) zemelnykh dilianok vlasnykam zemelnykh chastok (paiv) [On the Procedure of Land Plot Allocation in Kind (on Site) to Land Share (Interest) Owners]: Zakon Ukrainy [Law of Ukraine] vid 5 chervnia 2003 r. № 899-IV. URL: http://zakon5.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/899-15 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
9. Pro uhody shchodo vidchuzhennia zemelnoi chastky (paiu) [On Agreements about Land Share (Interest) Alienation]: Zakon Ukrainy [Law of Ukraine] vid 18 sichnia 2001 r. № 2242-III. URL: http://zakon3.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2242-14 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

10. Proekt Zakonu pro obih zemel silskohospodarskoho pryznachennia [Draft Law on Agricultural Land Turnover] vid 13 grudnia 2016 r. № 5535. URL: http://w1.c1.rada. gov.ua/pls/zweb2/webproc4_1?pf3511=60724 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
11. Proekt Zakonu pro obih zemel silskohospodarskoho pryznachennia [Draft Law on Agricultural Land Turnover] vid 28 grudnia 2016 r. № 5535-1. URL: http://w1.c1.rada. gov.ua/pls/zweb2/webproc4_1?pf3511=60829 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
12. Protokol do Konventsii pro zakhyst prav liudyny i osnovopolozhnykh svobod [Protocol No. 1 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms] vid 20 bereznia 1952 r. URL: http://zakon3.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/994_535 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 

Cases 
13. Bittó and others v. Slovakia: Court (Third Section) Judgment. Арр. 30255/09. 28.01.2014 accessed 1 June 2018 (in English). 
14. Broniowski v. Poland: Court (Grand Chamber) Judgment. App. № 1443/96. 22.06.2004 accessed 1 June 2018 (in English). 
15. Hutten-Czapska v. Poland: Court (Grand Chamber) Judgment App. № 35014/97. 
19.06.2006 accessed 1 June 2018 (in English). 
16. Zelenchuk and Tsytsyura v. Ukraine: Court (Fourth Section) Judgment. App. № 846/16, 1075/16. 22.05.2018 accessed 1 June 2018 (in English). 
17. Postanova Verkhovnoho Sudu Ukrainy [Resolution of the Supreme Court of Ukraine] vid 12 zhovtnia 2016 r. № 6-464цс16. URL: http://www.scourt.gov.ua/clients/vsu/vsu.ns f/7864c99c46598282c2257b4c0037c014/9e31f8b5c9ad7fcfc225805900445e50/$FILE/6- 464%D1%86%D1%8116.doc (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
18. Ukhvala Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy pro vidmovu u vidkrytti konstytutsiinoho provadzhennia u spravi za konstytutsiinym podanniam 55 narodnykh deputativ Ukrainy shchodo vidpovidnosti Konstytutsii Ukrainy (konstytutsiinosti) punktiv 14, 15 rozdilu X “Perekhidni polozhennia” Zemelnoho kodeksu Ukrainy [Ruling of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Dismissing an Application for Constitutional Proceedings in the Case Following the Constitutional Petition of 55 People’s Deputies of Ukraine Concerning the Compliance with the Constitution of Ukraine (Constitutionality) of Clauses 14, 15 of Section X “Transitional Provisions” of the Land Code of Ukraine dated February 14, 2018 in Case № 2-1/2018] vid 14 liutoho 2018 r. № 2-1/2018. URL: http://www.ccu.gov. ua/sites/default/files/docs/4-u_2018.pdf (accessed 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
 

Bibliography 
 

Journal articles 
19. Koen-Eliya M i Porat I, ‘Amerikanskiy metod vzveshivaniya interesov i nemetkiy test na proportsional’nost’: istoricheskie korni’ [‘The American Method of Interest Weighing and the Fuzzy Test of Proportionality: Historical Roots’] (2011) 3 Sravnitel’noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie 61 (in Russian). 
20. Miroshnychenko A, ‘Yevropeiskyi Sud z prav liudyny yak vazhil dlia zminy vitchyznianoho zemelnoho zakonodavstva’ [‘The European Court of Human Rights as a Trigger of Amendments to the National Land Legislation’] (2012) 2 Pravo ta upravlinnia 509 (in Ukrainian). 
21. Miroshnychenko A ta Yurchenko A, ‘Sotsialno-ekonomichni ta pravovi aspekty moratoriiu na vidchuzhennia pryvatnykh zemel silskohospodarskoho pryznachennia’ [Socio-Economic and Legal Aspects of the Moratorium on Private Agricultural Land Alienation] (2006) 12 Biuleten Ministerstva yustytsii Ukrainy 59 (in Ukrainian). 
22. Romaniuk Ya, ‘Vtruchannia v pravo vlasnosti z tochky zoru yoho vidpovidnosti statti 1 Pershoho protokolu do Konventsii pro zakhyst prav liudyny i osnovopolozhnykh svobod: kryterii Yevropeiskoho sudu z prav liudyny ta dosvid Ukrainy na okremykh prykladakh sudovoi praktyky’ [‘Interference with the Property Right in Terms of Its Compliance with Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: Criteria of the European Court of Human Rights and Ukraine’s Experience through the Specific Examples of Case Law’] Pravo vlasnosti: yevropeiskyi dosvid ta ukrainski realii. Zbirnyk dopovidei i materialiv Mizhnarodnoi konferentsii 7 (in Ukrainian). 

Newspapers 
23. Rakhnianska T, ‘Sim sposobiv zakonno kupyty zemliu s/h pryznachennia’ [‘Seven Options to Buy Agricultural Land Legally’] (Yurydychna Hazeta) accessed 1 June 2018.