COMPETITIVENESS AND COMPETITION: THE NEED FOR A PRAGMATIC APPROACH

This article is inspired by a public debate on the necessity to improve the rules for a competition in a certain area, e.g. the market for agricultural products. The emphasis put on the key role of a branch within a whole economy, as a starting point in rethinking the regulation of competition, rises the issue of the fundamental conditions which are defining the competitiveness capacity of an economy - production factors, competitiveness based on efficiency or on innovation. As we believe the Romanian economy is based a little bit on everything defining the competition power, which is not necessary, an advantage, but rather a result of some inconsistent public policies in carrying on the structural reforms, there is a strong need for a type of regulation which has to be inclusive in a correct mix of public policies. Only a good structural development, pointing out for what may be a key economic branch, is desirable if we want to see a real synergy between what has to be the country's competitiveness capacity and competition power at the level of firms. This article gives us the opportunity to refer ourselves to a specific study worked out by our research centre on annul basis, starting with 2004, called "Financial Stance of Romania", especially the part which is dealing with the interpretation of the development performances starting with balance sheet data of the companies. Some conclusions as to the state of agricultural competition capacity are revealed according to the above mentioned study.