Organic farming represents a paradigm that emphasises a balance between production and environmental sustainability. In the European Union (EU), organic farming has evolved into a global production system with harmonised standards and increasing market demand. Compared with conventional agriculture, it produces greater environmental benefits. The European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy highlight the role of organic farming in achieving the EU’s climate and environmental goals, aiming to use at least 25% of the total agricultural area for organic farming by 2030. This research assesses the contributions of Member States towards achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal and F2F strategy and increasing the number of organic farming areas in the future. The research assessed the performance of EU Member States during the period of 2018–2022 and for the projected period up to 2030, using indicators outlined in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan. EU Member States were classified by their historical growth in organic farming areas and their required future performance to meet targets. The results showed that the increase in organic farming areas across the EU is a sign of a shift towards more sustainable farming, although performance varied among Member States. Overall, performance tended to improve in seventeen Member States, remained stable in nine, and declined in only one.

Agriculture in the 21st century faces complex global challenges, including rising food demand, resource depletion, and climate change. These pressures, however, also create opportunities to foster sustainability, enhance resource efficiency, and reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides. In response, the European Union (EU) adopted the European Green Deal in 2019, aiming for climate neutrality by 2050. The Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy sets a specific target: reducing chemical pesticide usage and its related risks by half by 2030. This study aims to assess the overall situation in the EU and the Member States' contributions to achieving the F2F objective of reducing pesticide use as well as risks at the policy level. A novel methodological approach was developed to assess Member State performance using a set of EU-defined indicators – such as Harmonised Risk Indicators (HRI 1 and HRI 2), pesticide sales data from Eurostat and FAOSTAT – and to classify countries into contribution-based groups. Findings reveal progress at the EU level: pesticide sales have declined and HRI 1 has dropped, but HRI 2 has increased. Significant variation among Member States was observed, highlighting the need for tailored policy actions. The study provides an innovative framework and practical insights for policymakers and stakeholders working toward sustainable agricultural transitions in the EU.

The bioeconomy is seen as crucial for achieving a climate-neutral Europe by 2050; therefore, it is important to monitor and illustrate the performance and trends of the bioeconomy development not only at state level but also in regions. The research aims to develop a methodology for the identification of bioeconomy concentration and the structure of bioeconomy enterprises at a regional level. The methodology of the research is based on four main steps: (1) defining the framework of bioeconomy enterprises; (2) setting data sources and research limitations; (3) estimating the bio-based share of bioeconomy industries; (4) estimating a location quotient which provide data serving to assess the level of concentration of the factor analysed. The research is based on the analysis of 119 municipalities and 30 387 bioeconomy enterprises by using a location quotient. The research results revealed that the municipalities could be classified into three groups according to the concentration of the bioeconomy. Such a classification of municipalities allowed us to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each municipality in the field of bioeconomy and potential development possibilities. The novelty of the research provides a methodological background for municipal-level monitoring of the bioeconomy and suggestions for improving the uneven development of the bioeconomy. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-01-05 Full Text: PDF

Organic farming represents a shift in the paradigm that emphasises a balance between production and environmental sustainability. In European Union (EU), organic farming dates to the early 20th century and has now evolved into a global production system with harmonized standards and increasing market demand. Compared with intensive agriculture, it brings greater environmental benefits. The European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy highlight the role of organic farming in achieving the EU’s climate and environmental goals, with an aim to achieve at least 25% of the total agricultural area under organic farming by 2030. The present research aims to assess the overall situation in the EU and the Member States' contributions to achieving the European Green Deal’s and F2F strategy's objective of increasing organic farming areas in the future. The research assessed the performance of EU Member States in the period 2018-2022 and in the projected period up to 2030 by employing indicators prescribed by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan. The EU Member States were classified by historical growth of organic farming area and required future performance. The research found that an increase in organic areas in the whole EU was a sign of a shift towards more sustainable farming, with performance varying between the Member States. For example, in 2018-2022, Austria achieved the target, Estonia approached its target; overall, the performance tended to improve in 17 Member States, was stable in 9 and only one Member State performed poorly.

Background and Aim: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing One Health threat driven by the excessive use of antimi­crobials (AMs) in human and veterinary medicine. Recognizing this, the European Green Deal’s Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy set a target to reduce veterinary AM sales by 50% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels. Understanding the performance of European Union (EU) Member States (MS) is critical to evaluate progress and identify gaps. This study assesses the perfor­mance of EU-27 MS in reducing veterinary AM sales during the progress period (2018–2022) and estimates their likelihood of achieving the 2030 reduction target. Materials and Methods: Data from the European Medicines Agency (European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption) and Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans were analyzed. Indicators included AM sales (mg/pop­ulation correction units [PCUs]), trends from 2018–2022, and national targets for CAP Strategic Plans result indicator R.43 (“Limiting antimicrobial use”). MS were grouped by performance level, strong, average, limited, or insufficient, using the zero unitarization method, and results were visualized with color-coded classifications. Results: Between 2018 and 2022, AM sales for food-producing animals declined by 31% across the EU, with notable reduc­tions in Portugal (−57%), Malta (−48%), France (−44%), and Latvia (−43%). However, sales increased in Poland (+7%) and Lithuania (+36%), and the largest absolute sales remained concentrated in Spain, Poland, Italy, and Germany (over 70% of total EU sales). PCU analyses revealed uneven intensity of AM use, with Spain and Poland showing high usage rates, while Germany and France demonstrated more efficient use. During the progress period, 20 MS were rated as strong contrib­utors, while three MS showed limited contributions. For the target period (2023–2030), only six MS (e.g., Italy, Romania, Latvia, and Malta) are projected to maintain strong contributions, whereas seven MS, including Poland, Lithuania, and Denmark, are unlikely to achieve the target. Conclusion: The EU-27 achieved substantial reductions in AM sales during 2018–2022, yet performance remains uneven across MS. While some countries have already met or are close to the 2030 target, others require accelerated policy inter­ventions, veterinary stewardship, and stronger CAP alignment. Achieving the EU-wide 50% reduction by 2030 will depend heavily on high-consumption MS adopting best practices from leading countries. Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial sales, EU Member States, European Green Deal, Farm to Fork strategy, policy performance.