One of the main political objectives of Western Balkan (WB) countries/territories is accession into the European Union (EU). From the perspective of the agricultural sector, this implies that the ...Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) represents the benchmark for setting their future agricultural policy. This paper analyzes the structure of the currently implemented agricultural policies in the WBs, and their level of harmonization with the CAP. The uncertain nature of the final date of EU accession, and changing nature of the CAP, may imply that the agricultural policy choice in the WBs is an outcome of the EU's accession requirements and domestic political pressures. We developed a conceptual framework to define the key harmonization principles of agricultural policiesand the Agricultural Policy Measures (APM) classification scheme to gain a detailed understanding of the existing agricultural support in the WBs. While the WBs is committed to adhere to the CAP in future, the agricultural policies actually implemented depart from this declared future planning, and rather reflect domestic political economy interests. The pressures of the EU accession negotiations, and the EU pre-accession support, are the key elements of the EU accession process which push the WBs to adapt their agricultural policies to the CAP.
This article analyses the interactions between agricultural policy measures in the EU and the factors affecting GHG emissions from agriculture on the one hand, and the adaptation of agriculture to ...climate change on the other. To this end, the article uses Slovenia as a case study, assessing the extent to which Slovenian agricultural policy is responding to the challenges of climate change. All agricultural policy measures related to the 2007-2013 programming period were analysed according to a new methodological approach that is based on a qualitative (expert evaluation) and a quantitative (budgetary transfers validation) assessment. A panel of experts reached consensus on the key factors through which individual measures affect climate change, in which direction and how significantly. Data on budgetary funds for each measure were used as weights to assess their relative importance. The results show that there are not many measures in (Slovenian) agricultural policy that are directly aimed at reducing GHG emissions from agriculture or at adaptation to climate change. Nevertheless, most affect climate change, and their impact is far from negligible. Current measures have both positive and negative impacts, but overall the positive impacts prevail. Measures that involve many beneficiaries and more budgetary funds had the strongest impact on aggregate assessments. In light of climate change, agricultural policy should pay more attention to measures that are aimed at raising the efficiency of animal production, as it is the principal source of GHG emissions from agriculture.
Policy relevance
Agricultural policy must respond to climate challenges and climate change impact assessment must be included in the process of forming European agricultural policy. Agricultural policy measures that contribute to the reduction of emissions and adaptation, whilst acting in synergy with other environmental, economic and social goals, should be promoted. The approach used in this study combines qualitative and quantitative data, yielding an objective assessment of the climate impact of agricultural policy measures and providing policy makers with a tool for either ex ante or ex post evaluations of climate-relevant policy measures.
The estimation of gross value added (GVA), applying the extended economic account for agriculture (EAA) model and the partial equilibrium APAS-PAM model, is carried out to emphasize the importance of ...complementing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) direct payments from the national budget for farm incomes in Slovenia after its accession to the European Union (EU). Adopting the EU position of complementing direct payments up to the 40 percent level, a significant decline of farm incomes at the aggregate level could be expected as a result of depressed price levels. Complementary direct payments up to the 100 percent level would not result in significant improvement of agricultural income, but would drastically change the support hierarchy of agricultural commodities in Slovenia.
The objective of this article is to provide an analysis of the development and current situation in agriculture and agricultural policy in Western Balkan countries (WBs) in relation to the EU ...accession process. Most WBs have quite high but unused potential for agriculture. The small-scale and fragmented nature of private farming remains a general characteristic of agriculture in all WBs. After a decline in the volume of agricultural production due to transition and armed conflicts an increase seems to have set in for WBs since 2000. However, yields still lag behind the EU average in all WBs, particularly in the livestock sector. In general, agricultural producer prices are rather high, mostly above the EU average, indicating weak price competitiveness for most WB products. Serbia is the only net exporter of agricultural and food products. Budgetary transfers to agriculture have been at a low level, except in Croatia, but mostly are increasing rapidly. The WBs lack a stable agricultural policy and a true strategy of reforms and adjustment to EU requirements.
This paper gives an overview of complex changes which Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is bringing for agriculture of country that want to access EU. Special attention is on Bosnia and Herzegovina ...(BIH) as potential candidate country for one of further enlargements of EU. The paper is divided into two parts. In the first one explanation of the real meaning of EU integration process with regard to agriculture is given, what are the phases and tasks of accession, with short description of the more important elements of CAP as well as the process like direct payments and market interventions and rural development policy. Second part of the paper is addressed to comparison of budgetary transfers in BIH, candidate countries and potential candidate countries for accession to EU with EU 27 by different criteria. This comparison confirmed that BIH with EUR 13 per capita, EUR 22 per ha of agricultural areas, EUR 31 per ha of equivalent arable land and with 6% of total agriculture gross added value has much lower support to agricultural sector than EU 27 which provide per all compared criteria from seven to 15 times more. But, with the exception of Croatia, BIH does not lag behind countries from the region so much. The paper is ended with conclusions and a view towards future of EU integration in agriculture for BIH. Regarding that, the main principle of process in the field of agriculture (which generally must get more important role) has to be gradual and rational introduction of CAP with all rights and obligations. Although CAP is moving target, accession to EU till 2020 will improve situation in rural areas and have significant influence on development and modernization of BIH agriculture.
This article describes the changes in Slovenian agricultural policy in the period 1993-2001 in light of Slovenia's anticipated accession to the European Union. Agriculture in Slovenia is ...characterised by relatively unfavourable natural and structural conditions, which also explains its status as a net food importer and its relatively protectionist agricultural policy. The period of transition was also a period of thorough restructuring of agricultural policy, which was gradually brought into line with the goals and mechanisms of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Even before accession Slovenia started to implement CAP-like measures, including direct payments and rural development policy measures. Slovenia is thus the only candidate country for EU accession with a level of support for agriculture comparable with that in the European Union. In its negotiations for EU membership, Slovenia agreed on the same level of direct payments for Slovenian farmers as received by farmers in the European Union, except that in the first period they will be largely covered from the national budget. As a result of the outcome of negotiations, the economic position of Slovenian farmers after accession is not expected to change markedly on the aggregate level, particularly if all the necessary steps are taken with regard to the building of an efficient system for the transposition of the CAP. Accession to the EU will, however, not solve the problem of relatively poor compeititiveness of the agricultural sector in Slovenia, which still has to undergo comprehensive structural changes and adjustments.
Allowing for the comparison of agricultural policies among countries and supporting
the European integration process, a methodological tool was developed called the APM
(Agri-Policy Measures tool). ...The tool enables the cross country qualitative and quantitative
analysis of budgetary support to agriculture using uniform classification and systemization
template primarily based on the current EU concept of the policy pillars. All
agricultural policy measures are grounded on three main pillars: market and direct
producer support measures, structural and rural development measures and general
measures related to agriculture. Total budgetary support to agriculture should represent
the sum of all transfers related to agriculture from all sources, but without administrative
costs and transfers to non-agricultural sectors. The tool was applied for the
analysis and comparison of agricultural policies in the Western Balkan countries and it
proved to be useful for policy analysis in relation to the EU accession process.
The costs and benefits of EU-accession for Slovenian agriculture were estimated and discussed by use of comparative and empirical analyses. The structural and natural conditions of Slovenian ...agricultural production and policies differ a lot from the European ones. The production is small in scale, the support is based on price subsidies. Producer prices are almost at the level of the European prices, and hence they are significantly higher than on the world market. The PSE computed shows that Slovenian agricultural support is at the average level of the OECD member states, which directly implies the highest agrarian protection level amongst all CEEC candidates. By using the static deterministic income model for Slovenian agriculture, the consequences of various scenarios of accession to the Common agricultural policy (CAP) have been estimated, also indicating the potential policy changes. Running the present CAP, the net income in agriculture would increase. Further changes of CAP, and restrictive policy towards new member countries, would abate the attractiveness of EU for the Slovenian agricultural producers. The budget benefits of the EU-accession could be described as slightly positive. Their volume depends on negotiations results as well as on the preparation of domestic policy. The EU-accession and trade liberalisation process by Slovenia calls for a reform of domestic agricultural policy.
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