Relations Between The European Union And The Central And Eastern European Countries In Matters Concerning Agriculture And Food Production

This title was first published in 2000: This volume analyzes key issues of the process of integrating Central and Eastern European countries with the European Union related to agriculture. The issues include the comparative advantage of CEEC agriculture and its development under various accession policy scenarios; the likely policy developments in both the CEECs and the EU, based on economic, social and political economy considerations; the expected economic impacts and adjustment costs for the agro-food sector under various policy outcomes; the most important constraints for integration including policy convergence issues and internal constraints; and how integration will potentially affect trade and labour flows in the Union. The country combines detailed country-specific and region-wide empirical and theoretical analysis.

The first study in the Western world to compare the relationship between food and politics in the countries of Eastern Europe, this book views the current food revolution as part of the modernization process. Robert Deutsch argues that the communist leaders in the Comecon countries increasingly link political stability and preservation of power to the problem of satisfying consumer demand. He also assesses the various social forces that have brought about the food revolution. The most important is the expanded working class, which is no longer willing to defer consumer demands to a hypothetical communist future. The CMEA countries thus face the dilemma of either gradually liberalizing their economies in order to meet growing consumer demands or resorting to repression. Neither of these options promises a long-term solution for implementing economic policies prescribed by Marxist-Leninist doctrine. Robert Deutsch presents case studies of Hungary, Bulgaria, and the German Democratic Republic as examples of the "relative success" of economic reforms. To a greater or lesser extent, these countries have opted for economic decentralization by liberalizing private ownership and pricing policy and by integrating planning with market-oriented concepts. The author compares this with the economic problems of the Soviet Union, Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia. The study is enhanced by an exhaustive bibliography, arranged topically and drawn from the specialized literature in several languages.

The former USSR could become self-sufficient in food, but in the medium term will probably remain a net agricultural importer - if it can persuade exporters to extend credit. But Central Eastern European agricultural exports are likely to expand. Central Eastern Europe could become a tougher, more aggressive player in agriculture, principally in the markets for more demanding food products - especially pork, poultry, and fruits and vegetables.

This book provides an in-depth look at Europe's changing agricultural and food markets, focusing on the impacts of recent policy reforms, enlargement of the European Union (EU), and trade liberalisation. The papers included in this book braid together four important themes in European agriculture and food markets: the impacts of EU enlargement on productivity growth and catching up in the Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), the influence of food quality standards on market structures in the CEECs and on trade, the impacts of common agricultural policy (CAP) reforms on EU and world markets, and the costs of adjusting to CAP reforms in specific sectors. The insights provided in these papers into the empirical interactions between policies, institutions, and market outcomes, both domestically and internationally, are valuable to policy makers and researchers interested in the future of European agriculture.

This title was first published in 2001. By presenting research from a multi disciplinary perspective, this book will serve as an important reference tool for researchers and others interested in the land use issues of Central and Eastern Europe as well as agribusiness leaders seeking potential trading relations with and within these European countries.

The problems caused by the proposed enlargement of the EU to include the associated Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) are discussed in this book. The two main agricultural issues raised by this are the relative competitiveness of CEEC agricultural policies.

Content Description #Includes bibliographical references (p. ).