Trade liberalization for new member states (NMS) of the European Union (EU), following the recent EU accession towards the East, tends to lead to an increase in trade flows among current EU-25 members. The trade creation effects induce the increased traded volume and the diversified trade types. These development patterns are revealed also in agricultural and food trade in NMS. Comparisons of the Slovenian agricultural and foodtrade with the similar trade for the other NMS are conducted with the emphasis on distinction between primary and processed agricultural and food products. On the basis of the analysis it has been found that the prevailing trade type is the inter-industry trade, which implies higher adjustment costs of displacement of resources across different industries. Intra-industry trade, which is often observed in trade among countries with similar factorendowments and smaller economic distances, represents only minor part of NMS-10 trade in agri-food products.Trade specialization, trade patterns, and trade geography in agri-food products imply some similarities with developing countries and countries with less competitive agricultural and food sector.

Key words: trade structures, agri-food trade, trade types, intra-industry trade

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