PERFORMANCE OF ROMANIA'S MAIN AGRICULTURAL SECTORS - INSTRUMENT FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT

Romanian agriculture is a sector that requires significant structural changes to become competitive on an international level. Integration into the European Union increased competition within the agrarian sector as a single market and, more broadly, in the global market. This research aims to analyze the comparative advantages of the main agriculture sectors at the Center Region level and compare them with the national level. The study underlines a specific regional development evolution in the case of the Center Region, as this region does not mirror the tendencies seen at the national level. The evolution of commercial flows can validate, in an objective way, the competitive sectors. This analysis intends to showcase strengths and opportunities for future development at the regional level, underlining the regions that have increased their specialization. All this information is important for stakeholders, who are responsible for designing and preparing the financial instruments used to support regional development. The research developed in the article can be used as an instrument for regional development management, helping to establish regional strategies for sustainable development. This instrument could also be used to achieve national objectives through the creation of strategic management documents for European regions. The article presents an analysis of the Center Region, Romania. The research is built on an analysis of the comparative advantages determined for the main agricultural sectors. Positive results were obtained by the Center Region at the national level, making it the first Romanian region to record positive results during the analyzed period for regional balance trade. The analysis identifies a regional development tendency for the Center Region that can be enhanced through efficient management at the regional level and supported through financing policies at the national level. The authors aim to empirically support the tendency shown by the evolution of comparative advantage for the Center Region as opposed to the tendency recorded at the national level, validating in this manner an instrument that can be used by the stakeholders to design regional development strategies. In this way, the competitive sectors can be objectively identified, validated through the evolution of commercial flows, and valorize through efficient management.