Co-operatives and co-operative type units in rural areas

In this paper an attempt is made to show the need of adjustment of co-operatives operating in rural areas and their new role in economic development. Firstly, general remarks are examined, including a notion of co-operative and a meaning of co-operative units and their share of national incomes in European countries. Secondly, using experiences European Union members as an example, selected changes in co-operative sector are considered for improving its role in the economic development.