Twenty Years of Poland’s EU Membership: What Is Progress in the Agri-Food Sector?

Karolina Pawlak () and Walenty Poczta
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Karolina Pawlak: Department of Economics and Economic Policy in Agribusiness, Faculty of Economics, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznan, Poland
Walenty Poczta: Department of Economics and Economic Policy in Agribusiness, Faculty of Economics, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznan, Poland

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-24

Abstract: The paper aims to assess the dynamics of production and income in Polish agriculture against the agriculture in the entire EU and estimate the trade-related effects of participation in the Single European Market over the 20 years of Poland’s EU membership. The analyses showed that a positive phenomenon observed in Polish agriculture after joining the EU was a stable upward trend in agricultural production and the strengthening of farm links with the agricultural market. This was followed by increased agricultural income. Incorporation into the Single European Market triggered an increase in the value of Polish trade in agri-food products. Poland strengthened its position as a net exporter of agri-food products and proved the ability of the food industry to compete effectively in foreign markets. Except for cognitive value, the research can be a benchmark for other countries aspiring to EU membership and constitute a justification for their move toward accession. Long-run ex post analysis of trends in production, income, and foreign trade offers a background for assessing the efficiency of agricultural and trade policy actions taken up to date. The recommendation arising from the analysis and the new conditions related to the European Green Deal and the liberalization of trade policy for the import of agri-food products from outside the European Union is as follows: given the benefits of the liberalization of foreign trade in agri-food products, it should be supported, but it should not be allowed to make agricultural production in the country unprofitable or threaten food self-sufficiency.

Keywords: agricultural production; agricultural income; agri-food trade; regional integration; EU’s Common Agricultural Policy; EU’s Common Commercial Policy; Single European Market; EU accession; Poland; EU countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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