Diversification of the level of agricultural development in the member states of the European Union

The paper aimed to evaluate the level of development of agriculture in 25 member states of the European Union (EU) in 2010-2013. The analysis was carried out using the development model proposed by Hellwig, which enabled the calculation of a single synthetic aggregate measure based on the characteristics of agriculture in respective countries. This made it possible to compare the analysed member states, thus providing the basis for allocating them to uniform groups characterised by a similar level of agricultural development. The results indicate that the Netherlands and Denmark are the countries with the highest level of agricultural development. The studies also show that the worst level of development in the ranking is presented primarily by the member states that acceded to the EU in 2004 and later, with agriculture in Slovakia and the Czech Republic being an exception. The diversification of the values of synthetic measure in respective member states points to a considerable diversification of agricultural development within the EU, which is determined both by the production potential and the effectiveness of its utilisation.