ERS research on the EU focuses on analysis of policy issues of interest to a broad range of stakeholders. Among the issues policymakers address are EU agricultural policy and pressures for reform; the effects of the EU's Uruguay Round commitments on their agricultural sector; the expected impact of EU enlargement; and EU monetary union and single currency. ERS provides information and analysis on the EU agricultural sector as well as extensive data and projections on EU agricultural and commodity-specific production, use, and trade.

contents

• Basic information
• Trade
• Policy
• Outlook
• Issues and analysis
• Data

features
European Union Adopts Significant Farm Reform. The EU continued to reform its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2003-04 and will continue in 2005, building on earlier reforms enacted since 1992. The latest reforms move to fully decoupled payments through a single farm payment, which has important implications for WTO negotiations and EU farmers’ decisions on what to produce. For the full report, see CAP Reform of 2003-04.

EU Enlargement: Implications for the New Member Countries, the United States, and World Trade. This is part one in a series of forthcoming reports on the integration of the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States into global commodity markets. The report presents a medium-term forecast of the changes that EU enlargement will bring to commodity production and trade in Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic as well as to the enlarged EU, and to U.S. and world trade.

recommended readings
U.S.-EU Food and Agriculture Comparisons. The European Union and United States are the world's largest agricultural traders and among the largest producers and consumers. This report provides information and analysis that reflects the similarities and differences in their agricultural sectors when comparing farm structure, production, consumption, trade, productivity, farm policy, and responses to environmental issues. Implications of EU enlargement for U.S. trade are also addressed.

European Trading Arrangements in Fruits and Vegetables. The EU participates in regional and preferential trading arrangements more than any other country or region. Over 70 percent of EU fruit and vegetable imports are from countries benefiting from preferential treatment for some portion of trade. Exports from countries without preferences, including the United States, are at a disadvantage in EU markets.

Global Trade Patterns in Fruits and Vegetables. International trade in fruits and vegetables has expanded at a higher rate than trade in other agricultural commodities, and the variety of commodities has increased. Over the years, three regions—the EU, the North American Free Trade Agreement area, and Asia—have remained as both the major destinations and sources of supply. A substantial share of their trade is intraregional, particularly that of the EU.

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recommended data products
ERS offers data on EU agricultural trade, supply, and use for crop and livestock products, and data related to EU agricultural policy.

WTO Agricultural Trade Policy Commitments Database contains data on implementation of trade policy commitments by WTO member countries. Data on domestic support, export subsidies, and tariffs are organized for comparison across countries. This queriable database offers various options for viewing and downloading data.

Agricultural Baseline Projections provide longrun projections for the U.S. agricultural sector, including trade with the EU and other countries.

Foreign Agricultural Trade of the United States (FATUS) provides U.S. agricultural exports and imports, volume and value, by country, by commodity, and by calendar year, fiscal year, and month, for varying periods, such as 1935 to the present or 1989 to the present. Updated monthly or annually.

Production, Supply, and Distribution (PS&D) contains official USDA data on production, supply, and distribution of agricultural commodities for the United States and major importing and exporting countries. The database provides projections for the coming year and historical data for more than 200 countries and major crop, livestock, fishery, and forest products.

recent research developments
WTO: Competing Policy Issues and Agendas for Agricultural Trade, a conference on September 17, 2003, brought together researchers, policymakers, and industry representatives. Sponsored by ERS and the Farm Foundation, the conference addressed trade policy issues and their implications. In addition to the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, other trade policy developments such as the proliferation of bilateral free trade agreements and enlargement of the European Union are likely to have lasting impacts on agricultural producers, consumers, industry, and global food markets.

related briefing rooms
World Trade Organization
Agricultural baseline projections
U.S. agricultural trade

related links
Additional information on the European Union is available from USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), other U.S. Government, international organizations, and EU official sites.

Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS). Wide range of information and data on U.S. agricultural trade and the agriculture and agricultural policy of the EU and other foreign countries.

Office of Agricultural Affairs (FAS), U.S. Mission to the European Union. Information on U.S.-EU agricultural policy and bilateral trade issues, EU food import rules, animal product import rules, fruit and vegetable standards, and import duties and quotas.

European Commission, Agriculture. The Agriculture Directorate of the European Commission, the administrative and regulatory body of the European Union responsible for agricultural policy, agricultural markets, agricultural statistics, and international agricultural trade relations.

See all related links...

glossary
Trade-related terms

for more information, contact: David Kelch
web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov
page updated: September 16, 2004