Research background: The period after Poland's accession to the European Union is a period of systematic development of Polish foreign trade in food products. Positive changes were visible already in the first year, but trade turnover and the balance of food exchange were even more dynamic in the subsequent years of Poland's membership in the EU. Purpose of the article: One way to assess the competitiveness of Polish food sector is the analysis of comparative advantages (relative) in the trade of products of this sector. So the aim of the presented research is to assess the comparative ad-vantages of the Polish food sector (including its most important chapters). Methods: The analysis of comparative advantages was based on relative trade advantage index (RTA) and the Lafay trade balance index (TBI). The analyses cover the years 2004?2017. The data source was the WITS-Comtrade trading database, in which trade flows are expressed in USD. The analysis was carried out at the HS chapter level. Findings & Value added: The analysis of comparative advantages in the Polish trade in food products showed that during the membership in the European Union Poland had relative comparative advantages in the food trade on the world market. In the years 2004?2017 Polish export in agri-food products increased more than 4.5 times and the positive balance of trade in these products increased more than 9.0 times. Products in trade of which Poland had comparative advantages in 2017 accounted for 55.5% of trade of the Polish agri-food sector in the global market, i.e. by 12.8% more than in the year of accession of Poland to the EU. The dynamic development of trade in food products after Poland's accession to the EU, as well as significant comparative advantages in trade in these products, testify to the competitiveness and high importance of the Polish food sector for the national economy.

The war in Ukraine and the related disruptions in its supply chains shook global markets for agricultural and energy commodities, causing their prices to increase to unprecedented levels. At the same time, this situation highlighted the fact that Ukraine is an important global producer and exporter of certain agricultural products. The complete opening of the EU market to duty-free imports from Ukraine showed that Ukrainian products constitute competition for both EU and Polish food producers. This, in turn, caused further disruptions in the food supply chains within the EU. The aim of this article is to assess the competitive position of Polish and Ukrainian food producers in the EU market and the prospects for the evolution of their competitive advantages. The analysis was carried out using selected quantitative indicators of competitive position, namely Balassa’s Revealed Comparative Advantage Index (RCA) and the Trade Coverage Index (TC). The calculations were made using statistical data from the World Bank WITS-Comtrade database. The research covered the period from 2018 to 2023, inclusive. The research shows that between 2018 and 2023, the share of products in Polish exports to the EU, in which both countries compete, increased to 37.5%; that is, both countries had comparative advantages in these products on this market. The current competition includes, among others, poultry meat, bakery products, wafers and cookies, chocolate, corn, fruit juices, frozen fruit, water and other non-alcoholic drinks, and wheat. At the same time, more than half of Polish exports consisted of products that may become the subject of such competition in the future (currently, only Poland has comparative advantages in the export of these products). These may include, among others, cigarettes, animal feed, fresh or chilled beef, other food products, smoked fish, canned meat, fish fillets, pork, canned fish, and liquid milk and cream. Therefore, Polish food producers face big challenges; the process of the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine and its potential integration with the single European market will strengthen the competitive position of Ukrainian food producers in the EU market. The current competitive strategy of Polish producers, based on cost and price advantages, may turn out to be ineffective under these conditions. Therefore, they must look for new sources of competitive advantage that will distinguish Polish products from the cheaper Ukrainian ones. Therefore, a strategy of competing on quality may prove effective.

Rapidly changing external conditions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, which are pure crisis phenomena, not only determine the geopolitical and geoeconomic situation in the global markets but also cause structural changes in individual countries. Under these conditions, the level of food self-sufficiency becomes particularly important, as it is one of the factors determining the food security of any country. The aim of this research is to assess Ukraine’s food self-sufficiency compared to the European Union and Poland. The self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) index was used to assess food self-sufficiency. This is the ratio of the volume of production of the most important products of plant and animal origin to the volume of domestic consumption. Domestic consumption was defined as the volume of domestic production plus the volume of imports minus the volume of exports, and it also included changes in domestic stock levels. The surveyed time frame is 2019–2021. The analyzed data were taken from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, FAOSTAT, USDA, and Statistics Poland. A comparative analysis of self-sufficiency for the main agri-food sectors of Ukraine, the EU, and Poland showed significant differences. Taking into account the production potential and food self-sufficiency indicators of Ukraine, Ukraine’s possible accession to the EU can be expected to have a major impact on the EU’s supply and demand situation, as it may pose a threat to many EU agri-food sectors.

The aim of the article is to contribute to the discussion and research devoted to the evolution of the agri-food sector in the period of systemic transformation, Poland’s membership in the European Union, and globalization of the world economy. The evolution of the Polish agri-food sector,...

The Common Agricultural Policy defines the framework directions for the structural changes of the agri-food sector until 2030. The main reason for the actions is a fundamental change in the European Union’s approach to environmental protection issues and the dynamically changing conditions on the market for energy and agricultural raw materials. The European Green Deal, the key element of which is the “Farm to Fork” strategy, is the expression of the announced changes. The assumption of the documents is the long-term restructuring and modernization of the EU economy, which will be characterized, among others, by a closed cycle, low greenhouse gas emissions, and food and energy security. The challenges and the current situation in the markets of energy carriers are of significance in the activities of the food industry, which shows a high demand for energy. The aim of the article is to assess the level of consumption and energy efficiency of food industry enterprises in Poland, to identify challenges related to energy management and to formulate conclusions and recommendations in the field of changes adapting to the new conditions. The research results indicate that many positive changes took place in the energy economy of Polish food industry enterprises, among others, as a result of the implemented investments, the energy consumption of production, CO₂ emissions and the amount of generated waste decreased. Due to unfavorable external conditions, it is necessary, however, to further improve the energy efficiency of enterprises, so that they can maintain cost competitiveness and meet the growing requirements in the field of environmental protection.

Ocena bezpieczeństwa żywnościowego i samowystarczalności żywnościowej Polski na tle państw Unii Europejskiej