The aim of the article was to assess the state and trends in the development of organic agriculture in selected European Union countries. The study presented and compared organic farming in 10 EU countries with the largest area of organic crops. The research shows that the largest area of organic crops was found in large agricultural countries of the EU, including i.e. France, Spain, and Italy, where there were the most organic farms. The only country that in 2020 exceeded the level of 25% of the share of ecological areas in the total area of the country recommended by the European Green Deal was Austria. The niche nature of organic production was related to, among others, relatively low production profitability and low demand for organic food. In such a situation, it is worth recommending activities supporting organic farming, including ecological payments and other pro-ecological solutions.

The competitiveness of the food industry, which is among the most important areas in the Central European economy, is a significant and topical research area in economics. The sector is particularly important for long-term sustainable growth in Central European national economies. Its high competitiveness is an important stabiliser in an environment of global economic instability. This study aimed to assess the relationships between elements of competitive potential and the competitive position of the food industry in E.U. countries. The relationships between these categories were examined using econometric models with the use of panel data. The results of the spatial-temporal modelling of the panel data confirmed the significant impact of production potential on the share of exports, profitability and the synthetic competitive position index, the impact of labour productivity on all analysed competitive position ratios, the impact of labour costs on the trade coverage, profitability and overall competitive position and the positive impact of innovation on profitability. It was found that labour productivity was of the greatest importance in building a competitive position. The results of the research can be used by food industry companies and government authorities in creating competitive advantages for the food industry in international markets.

The study assesses the production potential diversity of agricultural in Polish regions in 2011-2013. The study used descriptive statistics and Ward’s method. The analysis shows that the greatest disparities relate to labour productivity and equipment working in other productive resources, i.e. land and capital. It can be assumed that these factors are the main determinants of potential and competitive position. The greatest potential for agriculture stand out Warmia-Mazury and zachodniopomorskie, whereas the smallest in voivodships in southern and eastern Poland: małopolskie, podkarpackie, lubelskie, świętokrzyskie and śląskie. W opracowaniu dokonano oceny zróżnicowania potencjału produkcyjnego rolnictwa pomiędzy województwami Polski. Analiza dotyczyła średnich wyników z lat 2011- 2013. Wykorzystano metody statystyki opisowej oraz metodę Warda. Z przeprowadzonej analizy wynika, że największe dysproporcje dotyczą produktywności pracy oraz wyposażenia pracy w pozostałe zasoby produkcyjne, tj. ziemię i kapitał. Można przypuszczać, że właśnie te czynniki w największym stopniu decydują o potencjale i pozycji konkurencyjnej rolnictwa. Największym potencjałem rolnictwa wyróżniały się województwa warmińsko-mazurskie i zachodniopomorskie, a najmniejszym województwa południowej i wschodniej Polski: małopolskie, podkarpackie, lubelskie, świętokrzyskie i śląskie.

The primary purpose of the study was to assess the international competitiveness of the food industry in EU member states in trade to the world market and its changes in the years 2005-2012. The food industry was defined on the basis of the aggregation of departments at the two-digit level 01-09 and 11 of the Standard International Trade Classification SITC Rev. 3. The study uses the following indexes based on foreign trade. The share of export in the global market, the revealed comparative advantage index RCA, in index of import coverage with export and index the Grubel-Lloyd index of intra-industry trade were calculated. Due to the numerous aspects of the competitiveness phenomenon, the aggregate variable was also used for a complex assessment. A synthetic measure of international competitiveness was developed on the basis of the factors referred to above. Data published in the UN Comtrade database was used for the calculations. The conducted research indicates that the international competitive position of the food industry of particular EU member states was diverse. The highest places in the competitiveness ranking were occupied by states of the old EU, such as: the Netherlands, France, Spain and Denmark. Only their order changed, depending on the adopted time criterion. A particular improvement was observed among Central-Eastern European countries which belong to new member states. However, it mainly resulted from the low level of export in the initial period. On this basis, we may state that we should not expect significant changes in the level of international competitiveness of the food industry in particular EU member states in the future (maintaining the present conditions).