Volume 2 (2013): Issue 1 (July 2013)

From the Single CMO Regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 of 22 October 2007 establishing a common organization of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products), the European common law is looking for a new challenge when the French law has been already partially reformed (Law n° 2010 - 874 of 27th of July 2010 and Décret n° 2010 - 1753 of 30th of December 2010). In both cases, Legislators would like to firstly fight against the dispersion of organizing farmer’s concentration in front of food processors (agro processing industry) and supermarkets (food distribution sector); secondly, they try to make the contracts more transparent requiring writing forms. Thus, it deals with the way farmers (farmers or producers Organizations) organize their relationships: what are the opportunities and limitations, what are the new points and specificities in this institutional law? It also deals with contracts requirements, options and freedom the partners may have. Overall this paper may represent a way to think about the meanings and the spirit of the common organization of agricultural markets reform: will it be the good answer face to the successive agricultural economic crises; it is not sure...

Agriculture and environment are among others the most important priorities of the European Union. Agriculture is strongly influenced by the state of the environment, including water resources. In addition to many other policies, the EU water policy is crucial for the sustainable development of rural areas. Directives are the main tools for implementation of water policy. This article contains an overview of the directives on aspects of quality and quantity of water resources. Within the paper three most important agricultural areas of the Directive are characterized: the Water Framework Directive, the Floods Directive and the Nitrates Directive. Presented mandatory EU action aimed at their implementation and the problems associated with it. Current proposals for changes in the EU water policy are described.

Currently the land tax causes difficulties to the managers of agricultural and forest land as it does not fulfill its historical function. Stagnant market for agricultural products together with damages caused by climate changes (floods or droughts) brings complications to the land managers by decreasing their profit. The research focuses on an analysis of land tax in Central Europe and its functioning as a municipal economic tool taking into account environmental protection and usage of nonrenewable resources. The article offers suggestions for municipalities with regard to changes in land taxation which are derived from their influence on agricultural and forest land usage.

The Accession Treaty allowed the new Member States to temporarily establish a different system of payment subsidies in agriculture, compared to the system in force in the old Member States. It is a system of the so called Single Area Payment Scheme (SAPS). This system can be used in the Slovak Republic until the end of 2013. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the rules for the direct support of agriculture within the SAPS and its actual implementation in the period 2004 - 2013.

Rented land accounted for 53% of the total agricultural area at EU-27 level in 2009. Rented land as a proportion of total utilized agricultural area in Slovakia (UAA) is one of the highest (FADN, 2009). That is why land rent plays a very important role. Therefore, the Slovak law maker approved special legal regulation to stabilize the long-term rent of agricultural land. The paper analyses how these legal norms affect the behaviour of the land tenants doing their business activities in the agriculture. Within the paper, the development of the market farmland prices and farmland rental payments development with the administrative land prices and rental payments stipulated by the Slovak national law is analysed. Based on the research results we found out that prices of arable land have statistically significantly increased. In spite of these facts the market prices are still lower than their administrative prices(1) especially in the case of farmland of the highest quality. According to the results the rent payment for one hectare of land is not influenced by the minimum rent payment stipulated by law. Contrary, minimum rental period stipulated by law, legal forms of agricultural enterprises and quality of land have significant impact on the rental payments. The larger acreage of land of one agricultural businessman press down the land rent payments. The legal forms of enterprises as well as the land rent period belong to the dominant factors which influence the land rent payment. (1) Administrative price is a price of farmland stipulated by the law.