ANALYSIS OF FOREIGN TRADE WITH CEREALS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

In the last period the grain market in the European Union has been tested, the invasion of Russia in
Ukraine has affected foreign grain trade in various ways. Ukraine is one of the largest producers of
cereals and oleaginous seeds, with the invasion of Russia, the ports of Ukraine on the Black Sea
were blocked, it had to be a land alternative, being the majority of cereals produced by Ukraine,
through the countries of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania (all being EU member states with
relevant agricultural activity). In the study carried out, the foreign trade with cereals in the European
Union will be analyzed in the context of sustainable development, imports, exports and the trade
balance of cereals will be analyzed in the context of an agriculture that tends from year to year to be
more sustainable, more sustainable with environment. Recently, in the European Union, most agricultural
holdings have taken important steps to become more sustainable, they have made investments
in the latest generation technologies to reduce the degree of chemistry as well as to reduce the
consumption of fossil fuels. Through the analysis carried out, it is desired to provide an overview of
foreign grain trade in the wake of the emerging imbalances, but also in the context of sustainable
development. Globally, in 2023 – 2024 world grain trade is forecast to decline by around 1.8% from
2022 – 2023, with export forecasts increasing for Turkey and Ukraine, but weaker export prospects
for the European Union. This paper aims to analyze the external trade in cereals in the European
Union in the period 2004 – 2023, a period of many legislative and operational changes in the agricultural
sector in the European Union. The external trade (which includes the value of imports, exports
and the trade balance) will be correlated with a number of agricultural indicators such as chemical
fertilizer consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and certified organic areas in order to observe
the state of EU agriculture in the context of the transition towards sustainable agriculture by reducing
the use of chemical fertilizers