Serbia is a significant producer of tobacco in Europe and the only country in Europe where tobacco production is growing. Due to privatization, some of the most important multinational companies are ...now producing tobacco products in Serbia. Bearing in mind the liberalization of the market and the harmful effect tobacco products have on health, this research tried to analyze the tobacco and tobacco products sector in Serbia. The study’s main goal was to analyze the characteristics of the tobacco and tobacco supply chain in Serbia and determine comparative advantages and levels of integration with the world market. The methodology used in this study included the index of concentration of tobacco manufacturers, followed by a panel regression analysis to determine factors that affected profitability in this industry. Also, foreign trade performances were analyzed using the indices of revealed comparative advantages and integration. The research was conducted for the period from 2013 to the last available year. The results indicate the growth of tobacco production despite the decline in the number of farms, the highly concentrated production of tobacco products, and the significant intensification of foreign trade despite modest comparative advantages.
The right to food is a fundamental one, and the optimization between human needs and available resources is a challenge in all countries. The main goal of this study is to find the factors that ...determine food security and to determine the level of food security in the Western Balkans while undergoing the process of European Union (EU) integration. In order to achieve this, four Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) dimensions of food security are analyzed: stability, availability, access, and utilization. The Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) method is then used to rank Western Balkan and EU countries according to food security. The results show a significant difference among these countries in terms of their levels of food security, which is a consequence of Western Balkan countries’ significant lag in economic development in comparison to the EU. Although the level of food security in Western Balkan countries is lower than in EU countries, it is not endangered. However, it can become endangered under crisis conditions (like the COVID-19 pandemic). The main reasons for this discrepancy are high food supply variability, dependence on cereal import, and lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in these countries than in EU.
European integration encourages rural diversification and innovation, supporting the creation of non-agricultural jobs and strengthening local economies. This scientific paper explores the typology ...of rural areas in Serbia and compares them to rural areas in the European Union. Methodologically, the research leverages multivariate statistical analysis, precisely factor and cluster analysis. The primary objective is to understand these regions’ diversity and commonalities comprehensively. The core focus of this study revolves around the significance of these findings within the context of Serbia’s European integration process. The analysis includes 12 variables that create a model of rurality, i.e., the four dimensions of rurality: level of economic development, structural characteristics of agriculture, demographic structure, and spatial characteristics. Based on the model of rurality, a rural typology is created at the regional level, which records nine statistically significant groups of rural regions in the EU, including Serbia. Cluster 2 includes most of the analyzed territory of Serbia (about 70%), and this group is the most rural, given the negative characteristics of this type of rural area. These results are devastating, and the creators of Serbia’s rural policy must consider the multidimensional nature of rural areas when defining future strategies.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine if the agribusiness sector can be an initiator of export on the emerging markets. For this aim, we analyzed export opportunities for the region of ...Vojvodina, the region in Serbia with the most potential for agribusiness.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses the Comparative Advantage Index and the Index of Intra-industrial Integration to determine the region's level of comparative advantage and the market's level of integration on the main emerging markets.FindingsThe results show that this region has the most competitive advantages in crop production – primarily in cereals and industrial plants – but the situation is not favorable for livestock production. Because of this, comparative advantage should be used as a factor for the growth of competitiveness in the sectors for which crop products are the raw material base. At the same time, agricultural policy measures should encourage more intensive agricultural production, which could create a better foundation for progress in the food industry.Research limitations/implicationsData collected on foreign trade at the level of statistical regions is not always reliable. Also, regional and local characteristics are specific to each country, so the ability to generalize conclusions is limited.Practical implicationsThis paper provides a useful review of the agri-food sector's competitiveness and determines which agri-food segments have competitive advantages. It is essential for policymakers to identify what determinants improve or degrade the competitiveness of the region's agri-food sector.Originality/valueSince there are a limited number of studies analyzing trends of competitiveness for the region's agri-food sector, the paper will contribute to filling this gap. Furthermore, the framework is conceptually innovative in identifying the determinants that create export opportunities for the region on the international market.
Throughout the EU, small farms have varying degrees of importance, which points to the need to analyse the role of small farms. This study, in addition to EU countries, includes Serbia, a candidate ...country for EU membership. This study aims to provide an overview of agriculture’s structural characteristics by creating an Index of Agricultural Structural Characteristics (ASC Index). The analysis was carried out at the regional level, which provides a more detailed overview of the structural characteristics of agriculture in the EU and Serbia. The results indicate several regional differences in the EU along north–south and west–east divisions. Serbian agriculture is predominantly made up of small farms and corresponds to the southern model of European agriculture. In terms of the west–east division, Serbian agriculture also corresponds to the structure of Central and Eastern Europe countries (CEEC), with which it shares a historical heritage of a centrally planned economy. Changes in Serbian agricultural policy must be directed toward regions with unfavourable structural characteristics. Special attention should be given to small farms in cases where there is potential to improve competitiveness and where there is a good basis for improving the social sustainability of rural areas.
Rural regions with a larger share of the primary sector in the overall economy are limited in their ability to achieve a sufficient level of competitiveness. In countries such as Serbia, where rural ...areas play an important role, addressing the problems affecting these areas is important for overall development. The purpose of this study is to determine the socioeconomic performance of the rural regions of Serbia and the EU in order to indicate the position of Serbia’s rural areas in the process of European integration. NUTS 3 (NUTS 2 for Germany) was used for analysis, and from this an Index of Socioeconomic Performance was created. This Index was created using Factor Analysis. The results point to Serbia lagging behind other EU regions in terms of development, with most of Serbia’s rural regions receiving the lowest ratings. These results are cause for alarm and indicate a need to create strategies that will direct resources towards key issues in these areas, whose potential would be adequately used through the implementation of rural policy measures, with the aim of overall socioeconomic development.
This paper focuses on a possible connection between food security and the migrant crisis that began in 2015, which had a tremendous impact on the European Union as well as on the Mediterranean area. ...The goal of this paper is to determine if there is a correlation between the number of migrants and the levels of food security in both their homeland countries and destination countries. The Promethee method was used to attempt to answer this question. Unfortunately, the analysis is limited due to lack of data for certain countries concerning food security caused by current poor political situations. Nevertheless, the results showed that the best-ranked countries by food security are mostly EU countries. These countries do not have issues with food security, especially in comparison to countries in the Middle East. Also, countries with a high level of food security and political stability have the highest influx of migrants, which suggests there is also an economic motivation for migration. Finally, the analysis confirmed a strong correlation between countries’ achieved level of food security and the number of migrants.
Trend of population growth and the need for greater production of health-safe food, on the one hand, and environmental protection on the other hand, affect the change of production technologies in ...agriculture. Challenges of modern agriculture are reflected in the growth of productivity, but also the long-term sustainability of the agricultural sector. It is indisputable that information technology (IT) has a direct impact on the productivity of agriculture, and as the ultimate goal leads to the growth of the profit of agricultural producers. Precise agriculture, the application of state-of-the-art technical systems for satellite guidance and automatic management, as well as the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) lead to yield growth, but also affect the rational use of inputs, which leads to reduction of adverse effects on the environment. Accordingly, the implementation of new technologies in agriculture is an important factor in improving agricultural production, as well as the potential for sustainable development of this sector. The units of observation in this research are Serbia and all countries of the European Union. The aim of this research is to determine the position of Serbia in relation to the countries of the European Union in terms of the dimensions of sustainable development of agriculture, as well as to consider the current level of application of information technologies in the agriculture of these countries. The paper analyzes a set of indicators of economic, ecological and social sustainability and their connection with the implementation of information technologies in agriculture. The results of the research indicate that the current application of information technologies in Serbia's agriculture, compared to EU countries, is modest, primarily due to the unfavorable educational structure of agricultural producers, as well as limited financial resources, which significantly impedes the process of IT implementation.
Trade agreements with the European Union (EU) and Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) significantly influenced the liberalisation of agri-food products in Western Balkan (WB) countries. In ...all Western Balkan countries, there has been an intensification of the trade of agri-food products and a partial change in the regional and commodity structures of trade. This paper aims to identify comparative advantages of agri-food sectors and consider its tendencies during the EU integration process. Additionally, this paper will discuss some opportunities for improvement of the export positions of agri-food products. In that context and based on the literature review, the indexes of revealed comparative advantages and its modified version will be used as a main method for analysis in this research. Results showed that all Western Balkan countries, except Albania, have comparative advantages in exporting agri-food products. It is evident that Serbia has the highest level of comparative advantages in this sector. Moreover, this paper suggests that all countries should aim to provide the best possible positions for their agri-food products during pre-accession negotiations for EU membership and take the necessary steps towards increasing the level of competitiveness in the common EU market.
Oil crops are very significant, both in the world and in Serbia. In terms of production, the three most important oil crops in Serbia are sunflower, soybean and rapeseed. Beside significant oil crops ...production, substantial quantities of oil are produced as well due to significant processing capacities in Serbia. Considering the fact that over the last few decades Serbian market has been characterized by integration with the international market and considering the actual market liberalization with the EU, CEFTA countries, Russia and others, this paper analyses production and export of oil crops with special emphasis on comparative advantages in the export of oil crops using the method of revealed comparative advantage. Also, the level of intra-industry trade is considered in relation to the international market, EU and CEFTA countries. The results indicate that oils have more significant comparative advantage on the international market, especially sunflower oil.
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