The Role Of The European Union On The International Coffee Market

The purpose of this paper is to present relevant aspects of the coffee supply chain from both the demand and supply perspective, at global and European levels. The European Union is a key player in the coffee industry, concentrating around a quarter of global coffee consumption and a number of representative intermediaries. Recently, a number of new factors have emerged with a significant impact on the coffee industry. These are of geopolitical nature, such as the war in Ukraine, which strongly influences the transport and fertilizer prices, but also of ecological and ethical origin, given the growing concern about fair trade, sustainability and ethical sourcing. Recent regulations impacting the coffee industry pose a number of new challenges for participants in the global coffee value chain, marking a turning point in the market with long-term effects for both producers and intermediaries (in terms of profitability) and consumers (from the perspective of purchase prices).