This paper aims to explore the importance of the direct-payments scheme as a tool for supporting the sustainable development of agriculture in Poland, and to assess the effects of the 2015 Common Agricultural Policy reform in this context. In particular, the study attempts to investigate the impact of different fund-allocation criteria on the regional distribution of direct payments. The research employs a simulation method in the form of variant analysis (the “what if” model)—a mathematical method with elements of statistical description, based on the complete dataset. For the purposes of one of the variants, a multi-criteria composite indicator was constructed, including stimulants and destimulants of the level of environmental sustainability of agricultural plant production. The analysis was conducted at the NUTS 2 level (voivodeships). The timeframe of the study covered the period 2010–2019. The data published by Statistics Poland and the Agency for the Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture were used as the source material. The analysis indicated that the 2015 Common Agricultural Policy reform redistributed public funds away from sustainable agricultural management principles. Applying some basic sustainability criteria in order to internalise environmental externalities would lead to a radical redistribution of first-pillar Common Agricultural Policy payments. The paper concludes that a real greening of the European Union’s agricultural policy is a task still to be accomplished.

The aim of this paper is to identify the potential of the Ukrainian grain transport route through Poland, and to predict the effects of using this route for the domestic grain market. Analytical methods are used in the research, including SWOT analysis and variant analysis. It is found that, even with a certain organizational and investment effort, the route through Poland may be, at most, a significant supplement to other export routes. The available transport, reloading, and storage reserves are small when set against the scale of needs related to the replacement of traditional export routes through Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Conclusions are also formulated about the impact of Ukrainian grain transport on the domestic grain market in various scenario options (direct transit, indirect transit, and “penetration” of goods into the Polish market).

Purpose. The study aims to (i) identify barriers to the efficient flow of agricultural products from Ukraine along the European Union (EU) solidarity lanes that pass through the territory of Poland and (ii) recommend actions that will improve transit. Methodology / approach. The information collection method was questionnaire using Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews. Structured interviews were conducted with representatives of Polish transport companies that provided services for the transportation of agricultural products from Ukraine through Poland. Information processing methods include structure analysis and statistical description. Results. It was found that improving the transit of agricultural products from Ukraine via the transit route through Poland would help mitigate the effects of the grain crisis in all its aspects. The bottlenecks of this alternative transit route are identified. It was presented what infrastructural, technical, regulatory, administrative and organisational activities would improve transit. Attention was paid to the importance of social support for the success of the project. Originality / scientific novelty. The study is a source of new knowledge obtained by analysing methodically and purposefully collected data – through structured interviews with representatives of Polish transport companies. The applied value of the study lies in the fact that it formulates recommendations for solving an urgent problem of economic practice, namely the export of Ukrainian agricultural products under conditions of war. Practical value / implications. Due to the prolonged Russian-Ukrainian war, there was an urgent need to develop alternative routes for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products. The development of the transit route through Poland expresses the commitment to alleviate the effects of the global food crisis caused by the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine and to help the war-torn country. Hence the applied importance of research in this area.

The most important element in the recent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, which is intended to reduce the concentration of aid distributed under the direct support system, is the so-called redistributive payment. The redistributive effects of this instrument depend on its specific form implemented at the national level, the level of funding, and the area structure of holdings in a given country. The objective of this paper is to compare the targeting of the support distributed under the redistributive payment in the three new Member States of the European Union – Bulgaria, Lithuania and Poland. In order to achieve this objective, it was established which area groups of holdings benefit from (and which lose out on) the application of the redistributive payment in each country. In addition, the average amount of support for a holding per hectare of agricultural area, and the percentage change in this support due to the introduction of the redistributive payment, depending on the size of the holding, in individual countries, are shown as a function. The source material was the data made available by the ministries of agriculture of the countries under analysis, relating to 2018. Keyword : Common Agricultural Policy, direct payments, direct support system, redistributive payment, single area payment, concentration of direct support, level of direct payments

The paper explores the impact of the key types of instruments co-creating the direct support scheme used under the Common Agricultural Policy, i.e. area support, coupled support and historical support, on the income distribution area. The impact of area payments and coupled support on...