One of the major problems in the ongoing trade negotiations within the WTO is trade in agricultural products. In the case of the European Union, due to the significant level of protectionism in agriculture, an adoption of the WTO liberalization commitments in this area will mean a reform of the...

The aim of this article is to analyze the environmental conditions of organic farming in Poland with respect to its financial support in the agri-environmental programme. A comparative analysis was conducted using the statistical data from the State Statistical Office and GIJHARS as well as...

The proposals concerning the CAP 2014-2020, presented by the European Commission in 2011, suggest that the nature of this policy will not be substantially altered. This implies that the CAP still will not offer sufficiently efficient and effective instruments supporting structural changes in the...

Considerations are presented over the cross-compliance principle influence for the agricultural farms competitiveness in the European Union, particularly with regard to the Polish position. Their meaning is anlysed and the existing weaknesses are indicated, as well as the beneficial...

This paper presents the possibility of changes in the Common Agricultural Policy after 2013. Attention was drawn to the European Commission's proposals which result from discussions with representatives of various disciplines and backgrounds as well as the results of studies of other...

Promotion of renewable sources of energy is one of main purposes of the EU energy policy. The article presents a comparison of financial support mechanisms for renewable energy in Poland and in selected European countries. It shows two main systems of support: green certificates and feed-in...

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are handled differently in different countries. Whereas global acreage of GMOs jumped to 134 million hectares in 2009 [Cultivation... 2010], in many European countries opposition to GMOs is still strong, and their acreage is very small. This situation poses...

The phrase ‘rural areas’ mean not only the place for agricultural production and the living place of rural population, but also refer to all the traditions, landscape, environment and residents of these areas. Rural development is highly supported at the EU level and it helps to enhance the...

The aim of the study is to find the answer to the question of how the Common Agricultural Policy aims to achieve optimality at the micro and macro levels, while taking into account social and environmental criteria. The authors wish to draw attention to the problem of ‘composition error’ in...

Biodiversity conservation is an important element of EU environmental policy and it influences certain instruments of the Common Agricultural Policy (agri-environmental programmes, cross–compliance rules, organic farming support). These play an increasingly important role in this policy....