This paper aimed at evaluating the level of sustainability in agriculture in 28 member states of the European Union. The surveys were carried out based on a synthetic technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS)-based measure. This method synthesizes factors of various nature and assigns them a synthetic aggregate measure. The analysis made it possible to develop a ranking of EU member states according to a differentiated level of measures and assign them to one of four groups characterized by different levels of sustainability in agriculture. The group of member states representing the highest level of sustainability in agriculture included two countries from Central and Eastern Europe, i.e., Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The group of countries with a greater than average level of sustainability comprised 14 member states of the European Union, including seven countries admitted to the community after 2004. The group with a low level of sustainability consisted of eight EU member states, six of them from the group of old EU member states, i.e., Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Denmark and the United Kingdom, and two new members, i.e., Romania and Slovenia. On the other hand, the lowest level of sustainability was characteristic of two “old EU” member states, i.e., The Netherlands and Belgium, and two “new EU” member states, i.e., Cyprus and Malta. The differentiated synthetic measure values showed disparities in the level of sustainability in agriculture among the member states of the European Union. They are a result of the varied level of development of this sector, production intensity and the resulting environmental impact.
-The paper aimed to evaluate the level of development of agriculture in 25 member states of the European Union (EU) in 2010-2013. The analysis was carried out using the development model proposed by Hellwig, which enabled the calculation of a single synthetic aggregate measure based on the characteristics of agriculture in respective countries. This made it possible to compare the analysed member states, thus providing the basis for allocating them to uniform groups characterised by a similar level of agricultural development. The results indicate that the Netherlands and Denmark are the countries with the highest level of agricultural development. The studies also show that the worst level of development in the ranking is presented primarily by the member states that acceded to the EU in 2004 and later, with agriculture in Slovakia and the Czech Republic being an exception. The diversification of the values of synthetic measure in respective member states points to a considerable diversification of agricultural development within the EU, which is determined both by the production potential and the effectiveness of its utilisation.
The aim of this study was the evaluation of agricultural total factor productivity changes between new member countries which have acceded to EU after 2004 and so-called ‘old 15’ EU members. The analysis covered the years 2007–2013. The study is based on Malmquist productivity index divided into technological change and changes in technical efficiency. The results showed a slight increase in the agricultural total factor productivity in the EU countries in the years 2007–2013 (0.1 %, which mainly resulted from a slight increase in technical efficiency in agriculture(0.4 % ), while at the same time adverse technological changes. Among all the countries of the ‘old 15’, only Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, United Kingdom and Sweden reported increased index of productivity. In the group of countries that joined the EU after 2004, the total productivity growth took place in such countries as Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Malta, Slovakia and Hungary. The reason for this increase was primarily changes in technical efficiency.
The aim of this study was the identification of spatial differentiation of agricultural productive potential and the assessment of effectiveness of its use in Poland. According to the EUROSTAT data in 2011 Polish agriculture comprised 8.35 % of agricultural area of the European Union and 20 % of the labour force of the EU agricultural sector. At the same time Poland’s share in the EU agricultural production was only 5.79 %. In order to evaluate the differentiation level of agricultural productive potential as well as the effectiveness of its use a synthetic measurement was employed that used the TOPSIS method. The research was based on the statistical data obtained form the Main Statistical Office for the year 2011. Based on the synthetic measure 4 typological groups of regions were singled out due to their productive potential. The measure used ranged from 0.27 to 0.63 and for the majority of voivodships it did not exceed the average value for Poland. The research shows that Poland is also a country that is extremely diverse as regards the effectiveness of use of production capacity of agriculture. The synthetic measures showed here a strong differentiation ranging from 0 to 0.86. Moreover, the research findings indicate that the effectiveness of productive potential in agriculture in the highest in the regions characterised by a high socioeconomic development.
Bioeconomy is a response of the European Union and its member states to global challenges such as ensuring food security, mandatory sustainable management of natural resources, mitigating climate change and reducing dependency on non-renewable resources. One of the sectors playing an important role in the development of bioeconomy is agriculture, which accounts for the largest part of biomass used as a raw material for producing bioproducts. This paper is an attempt to answer the following questions: What is the essence and significance of the bioeconomy sector in the EU? How significant is agriculture to the bioeconomy sector? What is the potential and competitiveness of agriculture in EU countries? Data used in surveys is sourced from the Data-Modelling platform of agro-economics research and covers the years 2008–2017. The position of agriculture in the bioeconomy was determined based on measures such as level of employment and gross value added (GVA), turnover, while its competitiveness was assessed based on labour productivity. The results of surveys showed that more than 50% of all bioeconomy workers were employed in agriculture. The sector produced nearly 30% GVA and had a more than 18% share in bioeconomy turnover. Member states of the European Union featured diverse agricultural potential. At the same time, the productivity of agriculture was one of the lowest in the bioeconomy sector. The importance of agriculture stems not only from its food function, but also from the production of biomass. However, its social function is equally important, and in the face of escalating environmental problems the function connected with reducing external costs and producing environmental public goods has become complementary.
The aim of the study was to assess the competitiveness of farms in new EU member states against the background of the so-called 'old Union' countries in the years 2014-2016. The research was carried out using the EU FADN database. As a measure of competitiveness, partial productivity indicators of production factors (land, labor, capital) were adopted. The research has shown the unfavorable competitive position of agricultural holdings in new member states in terms of land and labour productivity. Capital productivity less differentiated the countries studied, and the distance separating them from the EU-15 countries was not as large as in the case of the other two factors of production. The results obtained should be explained, among others, by relatively lower production potential of farms and low investment expenditures. The average value of these outlays per 1 ha of agricultural land in 13 EU countries in the analyzed years was 44% lower than in the EU-15 countries.
This article aims at evaluating the capacity of agriculture in the member states of the European Union regarding the production of biodiesel from biomass as well as identification and empirical verification of relationships between the rapeseed market and the consumption of biodiesel. The studies were based on panel data for the EU-28 member states in the period 2010-2013 obtained from Eurostat. The results of the studies point to significant differentiation in the production and consumption of biodiesel and its share in the consumption of liquid fuels in the transport sector in the EU. In 2010-2013 the consumption of biodiesel in EU countries exceeded 10.5 M TOE, with 2012 being a unique year when the consumption of biodiesel increased to nearly 12 M TOE. France and Germany are the leaders in the consumption of biodiesel in the EU; their consumption accounts for about 40% of the EU’s consumption. In the same period in the EU countries rape was cultivated over 6673.7 k ha, with the largest area recorded also in France (1516.4 k ha) and in Germany (1390.4 k ha) - the total area of rapeseed crops in those countries accounted for 43% of the total area in the EU. In this period the annual yield of rapeseed in the 28 member states of the EU on average amounted to 19979.4 k t, 50.3% of which were crops from France and Germany. This article proposes the construction of a theoretical model describing the relationship between the consumption of biodiesel and the key determinants of its production. The studies carried out show that the variable having the strongest impact on the consumption of biodiesel in the countries of the EU is the price of rapeseed (smaller-the-better characteristic). At the same time it was demonstrated that the consumption of biodiesel is stimulated by the supply of rapeseed.
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