The analysis targets the Western Balkan countries, both EU candidate and potential candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo). The aim and the objectives of the study were monitoring of the changes in agriculture and agricultural policy since 2012 and assessment of the key European integration issues for the analysed countries, as well as providing some policy recommendation in the regional context. The analysis of statistics is showing that there have been no major shifts in production and farm structure in the region, however, some positive trends in foreign trade, which are mainly a result of stronger exports can be reported. All countries have prepared and most have also adopted and are implementing new strategic frameworks for agricultural policy with more elaborated policy harmonisation focus. However, in the years 2013-2015 there were no pronounced changes in the structure and volume of budgetary transfers to agriculture in the region. Comparing to support in the EU-28 the total budgetary support in WBs is still low. There is no clear sign of a process of alignment to CAP-like policy. As a general rule, agricultural budgets are not development-oriented. Limits of the IPARD pre-accession support, prospects for the creation of the necessary key institutional infrastructure for policy implementation, lack of clear action plans for policy reforms and missing evidence based policy approach are presented as key problems and some policy recommendations and future tasks are derived.
F.30 Professional assessment of the situation
COBISS.SI-ID: 3763848The report gives a comprehensive analytical overview of the situation and trends in agriculture and related sectors in general and by principal markets. It is complemented by statistical annex providing longer-term datasets on agriculture. Year 2015 was the second consecutive year with favourable conditions for agriculture. The agricultural production volume rose slightly, while the producer prices of agricultural products decreased for the second consecutive year. On average also the prices of agricultural inputs dropped, but less than the producer prices; therefore the terms of trade in agriculture slightly deteriorated in 2015. Increased production and smaller intermediate consumption resulted in higher agricultural income, which reached its peak in real terms in 2015. Export and import of agri-food products also increased in 2015 compared to the previous year, and along the export-to-import cover rate rose to around 51 %. Business results of the agri-food industry were positive at the aggregate level (net profit) and better than in 2014; nevertheless, the recovery of this sector remains uncertain.
F.30 Professional assessment of the situation
COBISS.SI-ID: 5091432We examined applicability of multicriteria decisionmaking models for tourist farm's service quality assessment. Questionnaires were fulfiled by 103 guests and 6 hosts on seven Slovene tourist farms. The answers obtained performed the source for correction of criteria set by experts and provided the background for the estimation of importance of criteria. Using method DEX we developed the multicriteria qualitative decisionmaking model; using techniqe AHP we developed multicriteria quantitative decisionmaking model. We assessed tourist farm's service quality using models DEX and AHP. Both models enabled ranking of farms by quality of their service. Result of evaluation in model DEX were two verbal estimations for six farms and ranking of farms. Four of them: B, C, F and G with estimation »very good« shared first place and two of them: A and D shared fifth place. The farm E was estimated “good; very good”. The result is the consequence of deficit of host’s answers. The evaluation of farms in AHP model provided quantitative estimations and ranking as follows: the best farm was F with the estimation 0,155. Second place shared B and C with the estimation 0,150. On the fourth place is farm G (0,149), on the fifth farm A (0,139), on the sixth D (0,130) and on the last, seventh place, farm E (0,127).
D.09 Tutoring for postgraduate students
COBISS.SI-ID: 4163116The key goal of this research was to calculate the standard output (SO) at the level of agricultural holdings, based on production parameters available in the administrative resources and databases of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF) and to evaluate the possibility to use this indicator for the policy purposes. Research results should enable regular updating of the SO calculations as well as the attribution of this indicator to the existing MAFF databases, thus increasing the analytical value of the databases of agricultural holdings. Report first presents the methodology of calculating the SO and derived indicators; selection of the data from administrative resources, harmonization of the list of products and calculation of the SO coefficients, algorithm of calculation of total SO and derived indicators based on the administrative databases. More than 90,000 agricultural holdings (KMG-MID) are included in the calculation of the SO and derived indicators for the years 2012-2014. The research results show that it is possible to calculate the SO at the level of agricultural holdings based on the data from administrative sources (MAFF), and further that these results have great analytical potential, particularly in the light of agricultural policy needs. Research also points to different quality dimensions of administrative databases and the need for more effective co-ordination among them. One of the recommendations for the MAFF is to continue the activities for the establishment of the system of regular yearly calculation of SO and to include the SO into administrative databases on agricultural holdings.
F.23 Development of new system-wide, normative and programme solutions, and methods
COBISS.SI-ID: 5085800Transition to a resource-efficient and sustainable concept of bioeconomy is becoming the leading strategic orientation of the European economy. With this goal in mind, the European Commission has set a comprehensive strategic framework (EC, 2012) and developed a coherent approach to the bioeconomy through its programmes and instruments. It has also developed a set of supporting institutions to support the transition of European regions to bioeconomy. The success sofar seems to be rather limited, though. The Bioeconomy observatory (2015) reports that bioeconomy clusters currently operate only in thirteen EU Member States. The presentation tackles this challenge by providing a comparative analysis of case studies performed within the BERST project in collaboration with regional partners in Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Hungary. Comparative analysis is carried out along the following assets: (i) institutional arrangements forming cluster organisation; (ii) the actors (corporate sector, RTD institutions, government, NGOs) and their role in bioclusters; (iii) availability and supply of biomass; (iv) competitive bio-based products and services; (v) funding arrangements, and (vi) accompanying policies and measures. Particular attention is given to the comparison of successful regional bioclusters with those being ‘trapped’ in inception stage. The presentation aims to provide transferrable findings for regions / sectors in initial development stage to link their resources, actors and institutions in biobased sectors into vibrant regional bioeconomies.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 3811464