Suchergebnisse

Since the Republic of Serbia as a strategic objective defined membership in the EU, a process of harmonization with the current EU policies is inevitable. Agro-environmental measures are definitely an essential part of that process, and this paper compares agro-environmental state of the EU and Serbia. The situation of individual countries of the EU and Serbia at the level of implementation of ecological principles in agriculture is analyzed through the selected agro-environmental indicators which represents a level of development of regulative in environmental protection in agriculture. In this sense, the used methods are multivariate statistical analyses - factor and cluster analysis. The results of research clearly show that Serbia is lagging behind the EU in the implementation of agro-environmental measures, and in the coming period Serbia will have to make additional efforts to create measures and mechanisms for more effective implementation of the agro-environmental programs.

By acquiring the conditions for the usage of the pre-accession funds of the European Union, concretely the instrument for rural development (Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance in Rural Development - IPARD), The Republic of Serbia (RS) will have a chance to improve the position of its agricultural farms and the conditions of its rural areas. Agriculture is specifically important for the economy in RS, and the rural population makes up almost one-half of the population, which additionally enlarges an interest in these funds. In addition, the objective of the research is to identify the effects of the usage of the IPARD funds on the development of the rural areas, respectively the socio-economic progress of the rural population. A qualitative descriptive analysis on the basis of the empirical data was used. The basic conclusions are that, thus, structured funds will have a limited impact on the reduction in the development inequalities and the achievement of the parity living conditions between the rural and the urban areas. Namely, the dominant focus of the IPARD funds on the investments in agricultural farms and enterprises, and not in rural households, limits the level of their impact on the rural development in RS.

The analysis of the total factor productivity (TFP) of Serbian agriculture is the main goal of this paper. To achieve it, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to calculate Malmquist productivity indices. Results showed that there was a significant TFP decline from 1999 to 2008 (annual mean TFP change was -4.6%) probably caused by transitional disturbances and agricultural reforms. On other hand, in the period after 2008 annual mean TFP change was 5%. This TFP growth is explained by technical change associated with the European integration process and better implementation of innovation. Therefore, it can be concluded that if technological change is generated by innovation, it could be a clear sign to agricultural policymakers to encourage investment in research and development, especially those research that has a positive impact on agricultural productivity growth and environmental performance such as organizational and information technology innovations. In addition, adequate investments in technology development can increase the competitiveness of the agricultural sector of Serbia, which is especially important in the case of full integration with the EU market. ; Analiza ukupne faktorske produktivnosti (TFP) srpske poljoprivrede glavni je cilj ovog rada. Da bi se to postiglo, za izračunavanje Malmquistovih indeksa produktivnosti koristi se analiza omeđivanja podataka (DEA). Rezultati su pokazali da je došlo do značajnog pada TFP-a u razdoblju 1999. - 2008. (godišnja srednja promjena TFP-a bila je -4,6%), što je vjerojatno uzrokovano tranzicijskim poremećajima i poljoprivrednim reformama. S druge strane, u razdoblju nakon 2008. godišnja srednja promjena TFP-a iznosila je 5%. Ovaj rast TFP-a objašnjava se tehničkom promjenom povezanom s procesom europskih integracija i boljom implementacijom inovacija. Stoga se može zaključiti da ako se tehnološka promjena generira inovacijama, to bi mogao biti jasan znak kreatorima poljoprivredne politike da potaknu ulaganja u istraživanje i razvoj, posebno ona ...

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.

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.