Competitiveness of the EU Agri-Food Sector: a Synthesis of Findings from the COMPETE Project (original) (raw)
THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE AGRI-FOOD CHAINS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Ed. Academiei Romane (THE PUBLISHING HOUSE OF THE ROMANIAN ACADEMY), 2017
The book is the result of the collaborative research work of the COMPETE consortium, in frame of the EU FP7 projects, during 2012–2015. The objective of the project was to deliver a coherent and innovative evaluation of the competitiveness of the European agri-food chains by integrating various new approaches. Based on this, the research results provided for deducing a congruent, coherent and consistent set of policy recommendations aimed at improving competitiveness and promoting the Knowledge Based Bio-Economy in Europe. COMPETE project analysed four agrifood chains: cereals, fruit and vegetables, meat (pork), milk and dairy. The analysis was done at EU level and Serbia. The aim of the book is to identify the competitiveness of the Romanian agrifood chains and the place of the country in intra-EU and extra-EU trade. To do this, we included in the structure of the book the analysis of the four mentioned agrifood chains, and in addition, the analysis of oilseeds’ chains, as an extra study, for better understanding of the sector and good comparisons. The study was done at EU and national level, for all five agri-food chains. In the same time, we analyse the market potential for fresh and processed products according to the EU quality schemes (organic products, PDO, PGI and TSG products) on internal and international markets. We provided a description of the EU and national policies, as well as policies related to development of the new markets like organic, PDO, PGI and TSG products. An important part of the book is the analysis of the intra- and extra-EU trade and the Romanian trade, too. In completions, we analysed the market prices and their role in the competitiveness at world level. Then, we elaborated a SWOT analysis, based on the results of the previous work conducted by Romanian researchers and other researchers from COMPETE consortium. At the end, there were formulated policy recommendations useful, in our opinion, for the decision makers. By present book, we open new discussions about the trends in the field, future developments, good practices and models for good standards of life.
Measuring competitiveness in the EU market: a comparison between food industry and agriculture
2008
Facing the growing competition in the European food market, the purpose of this paper is to assess European country competitiveness at the sector level in the intra-EU market over the last fifteen years, comparing the evolution of the food industry, where firms have had to reshape strategies to maintain market position, and agricultural sector, where changes in Common agricultural policy have forced farms to face market trends. The analysis of competitiveness was carried out by assessing trade indices (EMS, RCA, RXA, RMA, NEI). Cluster analysis was also run to classify groups of countries with similar features in terms of competitive performance over the 1991-2006 period. The country that profited most from market integration in both sectors, reaching a high level of competitiveness was Spain, followed by Germany and Italy which gained competitiveness especially in the food industry. The United Kingdom had the worst performance, with a big decrease in indices, followed by France and...
Agri-food Competitive Performance in EU Countries: A Fifteen-Year Retrospective
The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 2015
Competitiveness is a crucial issue in the EU agri-food market. In the last fifteen years, two significant events have affected the competitive performance of agriculture and the food industry in different EU countries, namely the EU accession of Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) and the global economic crisis of 2008. This paper evaluates the EU countries’ competitive performance at a sector level in the intra-EU market from 1995 to 2011 by comparing the food industry and agriculture; and assessing the effects of the EU expansion and economic crisis on country competitiveness. EMS and RCA indices were used to measure the competitive performance over time. Results showed that although agriculture and the food industry in the EU are interconnected, they often reveal divergent trends in competitive performance. Germany and the Netherlands have profited the most from the opportunities resulting from the enlargement. On the contrary, France has lost competitiveness. A simila...
Measuring Competitiveness of Agro-Food Industries
OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Papers, 2015
This paper is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and the arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries.
European Research Studies Journal, 2020
Purpose: This paper aimed to evaluate the competitive potential of the agricultural and food sector in the member states of the European Union and identify differences between them with reference to the position of such countries in international agricultural and food trade. Design/Methodology/Approach: The competitive potential was evaluated using a synthetic measure designed using TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution). The potential was confronted with the competitive position of the member states of the European Union in the international trade in agricultural and food products. To this end, among other indicators, the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) index was used. The analysis was based on data from EUROSTAT and FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) for years 2007-2017. Findings: The results point to a strong diversification of the level of agricultural development among the member states of the European Union. Four groups of countries characterised by a similar level of the analysed phenomenon were identified. The highest value of the synthetic measure was characteristic of the Netherlands. It was more than 3 times higher than in the country least competitive in that respect (Slovenia). Countries with the highest agricultural competitive potential such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and France, also maintain a high competitive advantage in the international agricultural and food trade. Many countries, in particular those included in EU-12
Competitiveness in Food and Beverage Manufacturing Industries
2018
Competitiveness has been a topic of research in the manufacturing and related sectors since the early 1990s. While there is much agreement on the economic and social importance of competitiveness, it is less clear what exactly competitiveness is and what its most important determinants are. This paper looks at one of the important sectors of the European and national economy, at least from its potential for development perspective: food and beverage industry. The competitiveness of the food and beverage manufacturing sector in 17 countries is analyzed empirically, using 2002–2007 Eurostat data. After a review of earlier agribusiness competitiveness studies, an Industrial Competitiveness Index is used as a composite measure for multidimensional economic performance, covering profitability, productivity and output growth. This index approach enables relative competitiveness comparisons across industries, countries and over time. The results suggest the most competitive EU food and bev...
Investigating the Competitiveness of Agri-Food Industries in the OECS Sub-Region
… solutions to recurring …, 2010
Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU. Using several measures of revealed comparative advantage at both the two and four-digit levels, we find that there are similarities in specialisation in broad agricultural product groups in the sub-region, but notable differences at more disaggregated levels. The variation in comparative advantages across the OECS suggests that countries with uncompetitive industries in the sub-region are essentially competing with their more highly specialised regional counterparts for market share within the EU. The findings suggest that countries in the OECS should aim to direct resources toward the most competitive industries to ensure that they remain buoyant in the face of increasing competition for the European market.
The Competitiveness of The Romanian Agri-Food Sector in Comparison with European Countries
The Romanian Economic Journal, 2024
The competitiveness of the Romanian agri-food sector benefits from the significant agricultural potential of our country, characterized by a favorable climate and fertile soils, which offer the possibility of diversifying cultivated agri-food products and, implicitly, the complex satisfaction of consumer needs. Unfortunately, in Romania, most of the factors that can contribute to increasing agri-food competitiveness are not exploited to their true potential. Among the main elements on which the effort for development, modernization and growth should be focused, with an impact on Romanian agriculture, are investments for innovation, advanced technological solutions, infrastructure, synergy between the actors involved, penetration of foreign markets, etc. The objective that Romania must have in mind is to improve its positioning compared to European countries, in terms of average production per hectare. In order to determine where Romania stands in European statistics, we processed the primary data from the Eurostat databases for the years 2020-2022 and analyzed the indicators of cultivated area and average production per hectare for cereal crops, vegetables and grape vines for all European countries.