Regional and international trade policy - lessons for the EU accession in the rural sector

The European Union (EU) activities for membership accession, include a series of studies, workshops and seminars, to both facilitate policy and institutional reforms, and disseminate study results, thus improving analytical skills and policy analysis capabilities in countries for EU accession. In cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank provides economic analysis and experience, as part of its coordinated activities. The major objective of the Workshop was to present the results of the studies on regional and international trade policy issues, as it relates to experiences and/or implications with regional trading agreements, specifically, the Central and Eastern European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), in relation to the membership of the ten countries under review. Discussions took place regarding the World Bank support in the rural sector, and, the magnitude of potential benefits was suggested, though dependent on an enlargement based on adequate design and implementation of agricultural policies. Liberalization of agricultural trade was considered, viewing further openings of European markets. Improvement of, and competitiveness in the food and agriculture sector was identified as a priority task, before effectiveness of the Common Agricultural Policy instruments takes place.