Network for agricultural policy
research and development

First general meeting of membership

15 - 18 april 1996
Budapest, Romania

Analysis of agri-food sector development
in central and easten european countries.

Selected papers

Edited by Slobodanka B. Teodosijevic
Rome, October 1996

FOREWORD

In the historical process of European integration, economic policy in the agri-food sector has played a fundamental role.

Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs), gradually recovering from the economic depression generated by the traumatic transition from centrally planned to market oriented regimes are adopting quite diversified agricultural policies. Some countries are maintaining a substantially liberal approach. Others are more oriented to a CAP-like policy, gradually increasing the overall level of agricultural protection and domestic support.

The uncertain attitude of the Council of Ministers of the European Union about the completion of the 1992 CAP reform by extending it to the remaining commodities, milk, sugar, fruit and vegetables, and by further decoupling farm subsidies from production does not provide CEECs with clear indications of the likely features of the agricultural policy prevailing in the European Union in the next decade. This circumstance contributes to the uncertainty and heterogeneity of present agricultural policies in CEECs.

Expenditure on agri-food policy measures in the European Community has always been huge, varying between one half of to three quarters of the budget. The most difficult problems faced in the enlargement of the Community to the North and to the South were very often related to agriculture, and the enlargement to the East is no exception to this general rule.

The Network for Agricultural Policy Research and Development (NAP) concentrates its activity in analyzing the effects of alternative policy measures implemented in Europe by the European Union and by the CEECs. Actual and alternative policy measures are described and analyzed especially in terms of their impact on the countries involved, European and global efficiency of resource allocation, inter-sectoral, inter-personal and inter-regional income distribution, and sustainability.

The result of this work has been primarily presented in annual interministerial conferences where Ministers of Agriculture of CEECs discuss their policy problems and compare the empirical results of policy measures.

In the first General Meeting of Membership of the Network held in Bucharest, Romania on 15-18 April 1996, a wide variety of papers were presented and discussed. A selection of these papers is presented in this book, edited by the NAP Secretariat, Ms. Slobodanka B. Teodosijevic. The Network is pleased to present this collection of papers as its first published contribution toward informed agricultural policy in Europe.

CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION
• THE ALBANIAN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
  IN TRANSITION
  Fahri Dahri
• AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
  POLICIES BETWEEN MARKET ORIENTATION
  AND PROTECTIONISM IN CEECs
  Janos Budavari
• STRUCTURING MODERN AGRI-FOOD SECTOR IN
  CEE COUNTRIES CZECH REPUBLIC
  Tomás Doucha
• THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ALBANIAN MARKET
  INFORMATION SERVICE
  Christopher Grace
• IMPLICATIONS OF POSSIBLE CHANGES IN THE EU
  COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY FOR THE AGRI-FOOD
  SECTOR IN CENTRAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
  Antonio MD Nucifora
• SCENARIOS FOR INTEGRATION OF POLISH AGRICULTURE
  WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION
  Wladislaw Piskorz and Jerzy Plewa
• STUDYING POLICY DELIVERY SYSTEMS
  Frances Sandiford and Ed Rossmiller
• INTERNET AS A NEW FACTOR OF AGRARIAN
  DEVELOPMENT
  Alexander O. Makeev
• LIST OF THEMATIC PAPERS PREPARED BY NAP