Agricultural Policies in Transition Economies 2002 Trends in Policies and Support

Annotation The 10th edition of of this publication considers the main agricultural policy issues facing Russia and other central and eastern European countries (including Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia), supported by relevant statistical data. The report finds that the transition to a market economy has brought about a notable overall reduction in agricultural policy distortions which has facilitated the gradual convergence of domestic agricultural prices with world prices. In most central and eastern European countries, support to producers remains lower than in OECD and EU countries and well below pre-transition levels. The burden of support is, however, often greater on the economies of transition countries given the importance of the agricultural sector in these countries