The aim of the paper was to show the importance and competitive advantage of the EU countries in trade in agri-food products. It was proved that old member states of the EU, especially Holland, Germany and France, play a dominant role in the agri-food trade. Although agri-food products occupy an important position in the total trade structure of the Central and East European countries, their significance in the exchange of agri-food products in the Community is incomparably smaller.