Evaluation of the Agricultural Green Competitiveness in the European Union

Background In the twenty-first century, there is a growing awareness of the role of sustainable agriculture in responding to environmental and socio-economic challenges, as well as the need to provide food for a growing population. Conventional intensive farming techniques often threaten the environment, biodiversity, and public health. Therefore, a possibility is sought to transform agriculture and ensure the green competitiveness thereof, based on the current environmental potential and the capability to manage it sustainably. The European Green Deal and the subordinate strategies set the targets to be achieved by the Member States of the European Union (EU). Therefore, the present research aims to assess the green competitiveness of agriculture in EU Member States regarding the goals of the European Green Deal based on environmental indicators. Results For the present research, a synthetic index was developed – the Green Competitiveness Index of Agriculture –, which combines 15 environmental indicators in line with the targets set for the implementation of the European Green Deal to quantify the overall green competitiveness of the agricultural sector in the EU Member States. After calculating the index for 2018 and 2022, the research created a linear hierarchy and classification of Member States, ranking them accordingly. The overall level of green competitiveness of agriculture in the EU was found to be average. Of the 27 Member States, only 9 improved their position in the ranking, 14 experienced a decline, and 4 maintained their previous position in 2022. Most of the EU Member States face similar challenges in the area of green competitiveness of agriculture, both at the national level and at the EU level, to achieve the goals of the European Green Deal. Achieving the following targets of the European Green Deal might be problematic: area under organic farming, high diversity landscape features, air quality, sustainable energy, and energy efficiency. Conclusions The data analysed revealed significant changes in the level of green competitiveness of agriculture across EU Member States. Overall, the results showed that although the level of green competitiveness of agriculture in the EU remained medium and relatively steady in 2022 compared with 2018, the Member States' targets gradually converged as cross-country disparities decreased. The results indicated some convergence and changes in the ranking regarding the level of green competitiveness of agriculture, highlighting both the progress and the backwardness of individual Member States, which need to be considered by policymakers when developing future policies and sectoral development strategies.