Economic Themes (2025) 63 (3) 6, 353-365
Milan Marković, Ivana Marjanović, Anđela Milenković
Abstract: The need for greening the economy is growing both globally and in the European Union, with agriculture being a sector that occupies special attention. The strong interdependence of agriculture and the environment highlights the need to analyse the situation, perspectives, and ways to improve their relationship. The authors have singled out indicators (for the period from 2015 onwards, depending on the availability of Eurostat data) that describe the environmental challenges of European agriculture and determine future strategic directions by analysing the success achieved so far. One of the most common strategies for cutting the negative impact of each other is the circular economy. The value of the paper is reflected in the deepening and better understanding of the vision of the circular economy in agriculture. The paper will fill the theoretical gap in the literature dealing with the sustainable development of agriculture through the perspective of the circular economy and thus help agrarian policy makers in solving open problems in this sector, which, undoubtedly, has a significant impact on the natural environment. The values of agri-environmental indicators show that European agriculture is heading in the right direction from the point of view of environmental sustainability. In addition, the paper offers a socio-economic approach to analysing the challenges and benefits of applying the circular economy in agriculture. The aim is to extend the lifespan of resources by returning them back to the production process, thereby reducing waste that has harmful effects on the environment and human health. In this way, resources are used to the maximum, i.e. they are kept in the system. By using waste in multiple production cycles, the circular economy ensures the rational use of resources, especially energy and materials, which can reduce the current import dependence on raw materials of the European Union countries.
Keywords: circular economy; agriculture; environment; sustainable development; resources; European Union
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE
Milan Marković, Ivana Marjanović, Anđela Milenković
Abstract: The need for greening the economy is growing both globally and in the European Union, with agriculture being a sector that occupies special attention. The strong interdependence of agriculture and the environment highlights the need to analyse the situation, perspectives, and ways to improve their relationship. The authors have singled out indicators (for the period from 2015 onwards, depending on the availability of Eurostat data) that describe the environmental challenges of European agriculture and determine future strategic directions by analysing the success achieved so far. One of the most common strategies for cutting the negative impact of each other is the circular economy. The value of the paper is reflected in the deepening and better understanding of the vision of the circular economy in agriculture. The paper will fill the theoretical gap in the literature dealing with the sustainable development of agriculture through the perspective of the circular economy and thus help agrarian policy makers in solving open problems in this sector, which, undoubtedly, has a significant impact on the natural environment. The values of agri-environmental indicators show that European agriculture is heading in the right direction from the point of view of environmental sustainability. In addition, the paper offers a socio-economic approach to analysing the challenges and benefits of applying the circular economy in agriculture. The aim is to extend the lifespan of resources by returning them back to the production process, thereby reducing waste that has harmful effects on the environment and human health. In this way, resources are used to the maximum, i.e. they are kept in the system. By using waste in multiple production cycles, the circular economy ensures the rational use of resources, especially energy and materials, which can reduce the current import dependence on raw materials of the European Union countries.
Keywords: circular economy; agriculture; environment; sustainable development; resources; European Union
