European Initiatives for the Integration of Land Registers and the Development of Cross-Border Conveyancing

Abstract

Effective land registers ensuring the accessibility of land information are of crucial importance for the development of cross-border conveyancing which falls within the scope of free movement of capital in the European Union. Specific to the European countries? land registration systems is that they diverge considerably, the result being that they have not been directly subject to harmonisation so far. Nevertheless, efforts are undertaken to increase cooperation among national land registration authorities and what particularly contributes to achieve this objective is a common tendency towards informatisation. The article presents an overview of assumptions and outcomes of selected information and communication technologies-based projects implemented at the European level in order to streamline cross-border conveyancing by way of interconnecting land registers. On this basis, an attempt has been made to assess the effectiveness of hitherto cooperation initiatives and the prospects for enhancing the integration of real estate markets.