The development of sustainable agriculture is treated as a priority at the EU level, and the importance and role of agriculture, in general, and sustainable agriculture, in particular, is undeniable. The European Commission pushes for sustainability in agriculture in rural areas across the EU through the common agricultural policy (CAP), and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development targets becomes essential. Through our research, we aimed to investigate the status of sustainable agriculture development in EU Member States by assessing the current level of the achievement of SDG 2 targets, as well as the potential achievement of these targets by 2030. Based on data collected from Eurostat, we forecast the evolution of indicators for each country considered until 2030 using the ARIMA model and dynamic indicator analysis. The results obtained suggest, on the one hand, the existence of positive developments at the level of European countries, but also highlight a number of existing disparities, together with evidence of potentially significant deviations from the targets assumed by the 2030 Agenda.

Organic agriculture is considered an important component of sustainable development because it promotes environmental sustainability and social responsibility, involving the use of practices that minimize the negative impact of agriculture on the environment and human health. Through this research, we aim to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the current state of and perspectives on specific indicators of organic agriculture from the perspective of the SDGs assumed by EU member countries in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Based on Eurostat data covering the timeframe from 2008 to 2021, an ARIMA model was used to analyze the data and forecast trends in the selected indicators until 2030. The results of this unique study provide relevant information on the indicators and countries for which positive developments are expected up to 2030, as opposed to those indicators for which mixed or negative developments are forecast. The findings of this research empower policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders to identify possible negative developments and take appropriate corrective action, with the aim of achieving the goals proposed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The importance of innovation in agriculture is supported by the effects that innovation has on the growth of the sector's performance in relation to its efforts. The aim of the paper is to identify and to analyse the statistical association between the indicators of agricultural performance, regarding the economic, environmental and innovative aspects at European Union level (EU-28). For this, a study on agriculture from the 28 EU countries was developed using the information available in Eurostat statistics during 2006-2016. To address the research problem, the association analysis and correlation analysis as data analysis methods were used. The data were processed using the functions of IBM SPSS - Version 20. The analysis of the relations between the three areas of agricultural performance, namely economic, environmental and innovative, highlighted the following aspects: i) on average, there was an inverse relationship between economic performance and the environmental one; ii) on average, attracting borrowed capital and increasing indebtedness can enhance the innovative processes in agriculture; iii) the increase in economic performance was positively correlated with the intensive use of agricultural land and high levels of investments in technology. A rich economy has the financial resources to invest in research - development - innovation activities in the agricultural sector, which stimulates the economic performance of farmers and others companies in the related fields. The statistical survey highlighted the direct link between the general level of development of a country's economy and the innovative capacity of the strategic sector represented by agriculture.

European funds are financial instruments created by the European Union, for member states, private and/or public sector, in order to develop certain areas, and to support countries to achieve certain standards of economic, social or cultural development. The grants are the financial aid which is granted without being returned, and target many activities and investments. The paper makes a practical analysis on the absorption of structural and cohesion funds in Oltenia county for the 2007-2013 time frame, their impact on the regional economy, as well as on the factors that have influenced the accession process. NRDP is a complex program drawn up by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development following consultations with representatives of bodies, organizations and social partners working in this field, and approved after several rounds of negotiations by the European Commission. The measures are aimed at helping the development of agriculture in Romania. These measures cover all areas of activity in rural areas, except the acquisition of land and animals. 123 Measure "Increasing the added value of agricultural and forestry products" has as general objectives to increase the competitiveness of agrifood and forestry processing enterprises by improving the general performance of enterprises in the processing and marketing sector of agricultural and forestry products, through better use of human resources and other factors of production.

The National Rural Development Program is a program coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in consultation with the representatives of the organizations, organizations and social partners that have activity in this field and approved after mediations with the European Commission, being structured in measures aimed at supporting and developing rural area in Romania. Sub-measure 4.2. - "Support for investment in the processing / marketing and / or development of agricultural products", falls within measure 4 - Investments in physical assets. This sub-measure aims to improve the competitiveness of primary producers by better integrating them into the agri-food chain through quality schemes, increasing the added value of agricultural products, promoting local markets, short supply circuits, producer groups and interprofessional organizations, facilitating diversification, setting up small businesses, and creating jobs. This study aims to analyse the absorption of European funds in order to modernize the storage capacities, field crops production in the S-W Oltenia Region, in the period 2015-2017, their impact on the local economy. In this paper, it is proposed to follow the dynamics of the financing of projects for the modernization of grain storage capacity by sub-measure 4.2, at the level of the South-West Oltenia Region, which have an eligible value of 8,521,062 €, and the public value is of 4,260,529 €, in relation to nationally funded projects with an eligible value of 105,057,929 €, and the public value of 55,435,303 €.

The paper addresses the condition of the built environment in the protected areas ROSCI0045 Jiu Corridor, ROSPA0010 Bistreț, and the Natural Reserves Drănic Fossil Site-2391 and Zăval Forest- IV.33+A6, considering three specific indicators: the number of housing units, the livable area, and the number of building permits issued. These protected areas play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation within the component administrative units (56 in total, including 37 in Dolj County, 17 in Gorj County, one in Mehedinți County, and one in Olt County) where they are located.The number of housing units increased from 208,602 in 2017 to 222,680 in 2021, a trend observed predominantly in private properties. The built area for the entire region grew from 10,276,212 m² in 2017 to 11,162,886 m² in 2021. Overall, the area exhibits both ascending and descending trends regarding the number of building permits issued.The increase in the number of housing units may lead to potentially adverse effects on the protected natural areas. However, with proper urban planning, this negative impact can be mitigated.