ABSTRACT
Agriculture represents the major land use in Europe, occupying more than half the total community area. Some features underpin the allocation of agricultural property rights throughout most European Union member states: family continuity and occupational immobility. The inheritance of agricultural property rights between generations is the major factor in the replication of European farming businesses, which exhibit a far greater degree of social heredity than do other industries. The chapter describes the existing literature on tenure and tenancy arrangements in Europe. One of the central concerns in the regulation of private leasing arrangements is the identity and objectives of landowners. There are two basic models of the agricultural economy operating in Europe: the “closed” system, with its primary purpose of supporting the continuation of family farming; and the “open” system, based on improving the financial and technical efficiency of the farming industry.
