THE COMPETITIVENESS OF AGRICULTURE OF EU MEMBER COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Abstract

The aim of the study is to assess the competitiveness of agriculture in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe which are members of the European Union in relation to the agriculture of the so-called old EU countries. The partial indicators of productivity of production factors (land, labour, capital) for the years 2007-2014 were adopted as a measure of competitiveness. The research shows that the productivity of land and labour in the group of 11 countries in Central and Eastern Europe is much lower than the average for the 15 countries from the so-called old EU. The lowest competitive position of agriculture in terms of labour productivity occurs in countries with low levels of development, measured by GDP per capita (Bulgaria, Romania, Poland). Capital productivity differentiated the countries in the group to a lesser degree, as well as in a relation to the average results in the EU-15.