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Countries such as Bulgaria and Poland are claiming big western European landowners and supermarkets are pricing out their own farmers and shopkeepers.

And many of the worst-hit states have rolled out a series of complex new laws to protect their farms and ensure their agricultural industry can survive and thrive.

The new rules have sparked fears the former Communist countries could force an end to the single market, leaving Brussels to strike back with a series of legal challenges.

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GETTY

In Bulgaria, the European Commission launched an infringement proceeding last year after the country passed a law declaring investors should be resident for more than five years before they can buy farmland.

While in Romania, Brussels recently objected to rules demanding supermarkets source at least 51 per cent of their produce from local suppliers.

But while these cases remain undecided, it is in Poland that the battle against the European Union is being fought the most fiercely.

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There is definitely a push [to undermine the single market], but I dont consider it unjustified.

Attila Szocs, a campaigner at Eco Ruralis

The EU has already ordered authorities to halt a tax which it claims grants a selective advantage to local shops with a low turnover over big foreign-owned supermarkets.

And the country continues to impose laws which, along with other tough criteria, effectively mean anyone hoping to buy land in Poland must have been resident for a decade.

Attila Szocs, a campaigner at Eco Ruralis, a rural campaign group in Romania, said: There is definitely a push [to undermine the single market], but I dont consider it unjustified.

Europe is facing a land rush, where multinational companies and hedge funds are heavily investing in land either for purely industrial or speculative purposes, making this resource less and less accessible for young farmers.

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GETTY

It is easy to see why the former Soviet bloc is seeing such a land rush, however.

The average price of agricultural land in Poland, which is still not the cheapest destination in eastern Europe, was 9,481 per hectare in 2016.

But in contrast, prices in the Netherlands averaged 59,115 per hectare in March this year, according to official government figures.

Mr Szocs added: There is a great political push to keep the status quo and not permit new investors."

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And he said: The government is using strong nationalistic rhetoric banning land sales towards foreigners.

And the European Commission seems to view this new legislation as an existential threat to the EUs free flow of goods, people and capital.

Referring to the infringement procedures, a Commission spokesperson said: The Commissions services are considering the next steps to take.

At the same time, we are supporting member states to exchange best practices and to find solutions that comply with EU law.

Read more:
'It's destroying our country!' Eastern European nations turn back on EU's Single Market - Express.co.uk