Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 25 ISSUE 3
Written by Mihai TRIFAN, Liviu MARCUTA, Valentina SIMION, Alina MARCUTA

This research aims to analyze the trade performance of the European Union in fresh plum trade, through an integrated approach that combines evolutionary, structural and quantitative analysis of official statistical data. The main objective is to assess the trade position of EU Member States on the international plum market, in terms of trade volume, dependence on trading partners, sensitivity to price variations and strategic export orientation. The methodology applied involved the analysis of the dynamics of plum trade in the period 2014–2024, differentiated by intra- and extra-community flows, both for imports and exports, using quantitative and value indicators, as well as synthetic variation indices, such as the Herfindahl–Hirschman index for trade concentration or the coefficient of variation for price volatility. The analysis started from the premise that plums represent an important category of fruit in the agricultural economy of several European countries, and the trade behavior of the European Union reflects not only its positioning in relation to other global actors, but also its vulnerabilities or competitive advantages within the international flows of fresh fruit. The results obtained highlight that exports of fresh plums from the EU have registered significant increases in some Member States such as Spain, Italy and Romania, while others have shown high volatility and lower contributions to the Union's trade performance. The evolution of selling prices has been marked by significant fluctuations, and the application of the Herfindahl–Hirschman index has confirmed a trend of increasing import concentration, indicating dependence on a small number of trading partners. The conclusions drawn indicate that, despite the progress made, the EU plum market remains exposed to trade imbalances and requires sustained policies to stabilise and consolidate competitive advantages.

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