Analysis of the European Food Industry

Abstract

This report is based on a study assigned to the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (JRC-IPTS) to investigate recent developments in the European food industry and the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade flows on the food industry in the EU-25. The report illustrates trends in and the structure of the European food industry. Past and possible future developments are analysed, identifying the drivers behind development of the food industry and assessing the impact on production, structures, farmers and trade. Another key feature of this report is to assess the impact of EU accession and of harmonisation of trade policy for agricultural commodities and processed agri-food products on both the EU-15 and the new Member States (NMS).