The Food Industry in the New EU Member States

Abstract

The food industries of Eastern European countries are described and evaluated in comparison with the food industry in the European Union as a whole. Most of the indicators investigated show a considerable degree of specificity, which should be taken into account in European policy measures for the sector's competitiveness. Enterprises are on average comparatively small in terms of turnover, but large in terms of employment. Investment intensity is low, but control by foreign affiliates is high. The economic performance of these countries is fair in terms of profitability and production development, but low with respect to employment development and labour productivity. Poland, Latvia and Bulgaria have the best-performing food industries.

Keywords

food industry structure conduct performance industrial organization Eastern Europe

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