Dispute over community forest: who gets the property back?

Dispute over community forest: who gets the property back?

At the center of a long-running legal dispute is the city of Feldkirch, which has been taking legal action against its agricultural communities, including Altenstadt, Tosters and Tisis, for over two years. The dispute revolves around ownership of forests and fields that the city believes it is entitled to. The financial aspects play a crucial role, as the clarification of these complex legal issues could take a considerable amount of time vorarlberg.orf.at reported. Although there have already been numerous statements on the issue, the authority's final decision is still pending and the outcome remains uncertain.

At the same time, the issue of agricultural communities in Tyrol has become more explosive again. The Tyrolean community association and the association “Communal land in community hands” are calling for the retransfer of properties that were unconstitutionally transferred to agricultural communities in the past. These demands are resurfacing exactly two months before the state elections and are stirring up political debates dolomitenstadt.at reported. The representatives criticize politicians for failings and renew their call for a simple state law that could regulate the retransfer in order to repair the billions in damage that has accumulated over 100 years.

Political tensions and accusations

During the dispute, the Tyrolean regional councilor Josef Geisler pointed out that the Constitutional Court had already classified the property transfers as illegal and that a retransfer was impossible. However, this is opposed by association representatives who denounce massive losses and unlawful appropriation of community property to agricultural communities. They cite comprehensive surveys that document the dimension of “property theft” and call for comprehensive information and measures to restore the rights of the communities. The community association president Ernst Schöpf also emphasized the urgency of the matter, especially in view of the upcoming elections, and sees the unresolved agricultural issue as a clear mandate for the newly elected Tyrolean state parliament.