Analysis of competitiveness of Spanish exports to the European Union with emphasis on the food sector

Abstract:

The agri-food sector is considered strategic for the Spanish economy, being key to its economic development and rural societies in particular. From this perspective, their competitiveness is analyzed to identify the strongest and weakest destinations in the European Union (EU) in 2006-2015. With this objective, a Shift-share methodology is followed, complemented with elasticities, concepts that are developed to characterize an interesting typology of export destinations. By studying these variables, it is possible to verify the competitiveness of Spanish food exports to the EU, with greater relevance to Eastern countries. Thus, Latvia and Lithuania are the most interesting EU markets for obtaining very positive values ​​in all indicators. Cyprus, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Sweden also have very noteworthy values, although they present some doubts. Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Germany, Austria, and the United Kingdom present a profile similar to that of the latter countries, but they have certain problems in their specialization coefficients. Among the Eastern countries, only Croatia, Estonia, and Slovenia have a medium-low profile. Within the Western countries, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, and Portugal have some weaknesses for Spain, especially France and Greece.

Keywords:
specialization; Shift-share analysis; regional structure; regional analysis; econometrics