Lexington Books Romanian Agriculture and Transition Toward the EU (Rural Economies in Transition)

Of the ten Central and Eastern European countries that have applied for membership in the European Union, Romania ranks among the largest and most impoverished. Romania represents the final challenge in the European Union's enlargement to the east, largely due to its major, but underdeveloped, agriculture and food sectors. The agriculture industry, which is a major component of the national economy, extends its pervasive influence to both Romanian social life and environment. Consequently, the transition towards a market oriented economic system will pose new obstacles for the country's farmers, processors, traders, and policymakers. While identifying the impediments that surround Romanian agriculture and its inevitable progression towards transition is a simple task, the challenges lie in recommending solutions. Through careful analysis of numerous recent studies on reform policies in the Romanian agri-food sector during its economic transition, this comprehensive examination offers perspicacious suggestions and insights on the following topics in particular: international trade, credit for agricultural development, price policies, and rural development. The conclusions reached are not only of domestic importance and application, they are also of immediate relevance for many post-socialist countries, for which the agri-food sector is a principal vehicle for rural development. Review . . . this volume provides a comprehensive, well-substantiated view on a rural economy in transition and also offers a set of carefully developed policy conclsions. . . . this book is an important and valuable contribution to the literature on "transition economics" and should be studied by everyone working on Romanian agrculture.--Quarterly Journal Of International Agriculture Anyone researching the agricultural sector in postsocialist areas will find much interesting data and thoughtful analyses in this round-up in Romanian Agriculture.--Soyuz: Post Socialist Cultural Studies Romania's agriculture faces the double challenge of completing the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy as well as preparing for EU accession. This excellent study provides an in-depth analysis of this difficult process and should be very useful for Romanian readers and a larger international audience interested in transition and EU accession issues.--Csaba Csaki, Senior Strategy and Policy Advisor, Rural Development Department About the Author Johan F.M. Swinnen is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies, where he directs the programme on EU agricultural and rural policy. He is Professor of Economics and Director of the LICOS-Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. He is a Visiting Professor at the Centre for Food Security and the Environment at Stanford University and President of the International Association of Agricultural Economists.