**3. Discussion**

Farmland is the essential natural resource on which the food security of future generations depends, and for this reason its proper management is a matter of social, moral and ethical responsibility. Agricultural land is not only a critical production factor, but also the bearer of the rural landscape and of civilization itself. The ownership and control of land that is passed down through generations provides a sense of security to the inhabitants of the rural area. The establishment and existence of

national states are related to the territories that belong to them, and according the land facilities and economic activities that are developed thereupon. The regulation of international relations based on a concept of the free movement of goods, services, labor and capital has not provided the instruments required to protect landed property [17].

The acquisition of agricultural land is a phenomenon that has manifested itself throughout history. However, the magnitude and goals of purchasing land have recently reached new dimensions with the potential for unforeseen economic and social consequences that can affect the quality of the environment and life in rural areas. Large-scale land acquisitions lead to the existence of small numbers of agricultural holdings that concentrate and control large tracts of land. These acquisitions change the small-scale agrarian production models that have traditionally been used by family workforces, and restructures them into large-scale agricultural production systems that are based on intensive and commercially oriented technologies [18].

Economic factors can lead to a renunciation of land properties by small farmers, in particular the low competitiveness of the market. In addition, young people often prefer urban civilization to the detriment of the rural culture and government policies, including CAP subsidies, which favor large farms [19]. Nevertheless, a farmer's attachment to their land is usually secure, but often coercion, cheating or orchestrated publicity are used to create confusion, in order to take control of their land.

Land grabbing in the EU is favored by several factors, including: differential land prices; land speculation and land "artificialization" (the change of land use from agriculture to urban sprawl, real estate or an enclave of tourism); processes of land privatization and land consolidation; a variety of EU agricultural, food and energy policies (e.g., its biofuels policy); and EU trade, financial and investment policies and subsidies [20].

The study conducted by the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development synthesizes the negative consequences of farmland grabbing in the EU, and specifically the disappearance of family farming and the problem of "entry denial" (currently, many rural young people in the world, including Europe, do not want or cannot become farmers for economic reasons such as lack of capital and low remuneration, but also for non-economic reasons such as an attraction to urban living). Other consequence specified are the rise of large agricultural corporations; threats to European food security, food sovereignty and local food cultures; rural unemployment; emigration; and land degradation and decline.

Nonetheless, land grabbing is not an illegal or immoral practice in all cases. The phenomenon has a variety of manifestations related to the actors involved and the forms used, such as purchase or leasing by economic entities—usually multinational entities, banks, insurers, investment funds, speculators or industrial farms. Other forms include masked purchasing through "pocket contracts" (contracts that aim to find "solutions" to the legal restrictions regulating the land deals), purchase under a masked identity and illegal retrocession.

The subsidy scheme of the CAP has accentuated land grabbing and is directly related to owned agricultural areas (subsidy per hectare of farmland). The decreased return on the capital invested in industrial production and increased risk on the financial derivatives market, plus new demands from bioenergy, are all factors that have led to increased land demand and the migration of financial capital towards the agricultural sector.

The increased demand for land has inevitably led to an increase in agricultural land prices and rents. The disparities regarding farmland prices and rents have also favored large-scale land acquisitions [21], a phenomenon that has been especially present in countries where prices are still low and legislation regarding agricultural land acquisition by foreign citizens is favorable. In Romania, this type of difference is still present in different agricultural areas, and the demand for land continues to be dynamic.
