Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 23 ISSUE 1
Written by Lucica DOBRE, Dorina Nicoleta MOCUŢA

The purpose of our article is to contribute with a complementary analysis to different conceptual and practical perspectives in relation to the approach, estimation and concrete evaluation of the classification of agricultural land, in direct relation to the rural space, in Romania and in the EU. Along with the land use for agriculture we are also bring to attention other uses of land, including land required for human settlement. In the economic literature, according to their origin, goods are classified into: a) free goods – air, solar heat, natural light – whose consumption is unrestricted, being in themselves gifts of Nature, and consumed according to time and place and b) economic goods - either materials, or services, information - i.e. that type of goods, which, unlike free goods, have a limited character, being the result of an economic activity and a consumption of resources. In principle, natural resources are limitless, their consumption being free, unrestricted. However, under conditions of excessive exploitation, these natural resources become depletable, limited due to the exponential evolution of the "artificial" development in all economic fields, as well as a result of unsustainable (over)consumption. Among the goods - assets, of strategic importance, are the lands, both agricultural and non-agricultural. The paper has the purpose to analyze the concept of rural space, in Romania and the European Union. for this purpose the official statistical data and corresponding processing methods, also reports, the strategic European directives and recent researches and scientific articles were used. The results emphasized the importance of its integrated development and planning as a vital pillar of durable development and sustainability in direct connection with the agricultural land use. According to a report of the European Charter of Rural Areas "the rural area of Europe represents 85% of the total area, affecting - directly or indirectly - more than half of the European population". Romanian agriculture proved to be still of a low competitiveness compared to the other EU member states, as production factors are still being used below the optimal level. Therefore, rural areas are ecosystems where the progress in reducing poverty and increasing the quality of life is very slow.

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