EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND KEY PREDICTORS IN THE EU’S GREEN TRANSITION
EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND KEY PREDICTORS IN THE EU’S GREEN TRANSITION

Author(s): Cristian Romeo SPĂTARU, Cristian Constantin Popescu
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Environmental and Energy policy, EU-Approach / EU-Accession / EU-Development
Published by: Presa Universitara Clujeana
Keywords: sustainable development; key-predictors; EU’s green transition
Summary/Abstract: The European Green Pact is a key strategic framework for the transition to a sustainable economy, aimed at reducing negative environmental impacts and increasing the resilience of European economies. According to the Global Agenda 2030, we can no longer think of sustainable development in the absence of a clean environment. This study aims to provide an overview of the specialized literature and, in its applied section, to analyze, on the one hand, the socio-economic impact of environmental determinants in the green transition process, and on the other hand, to empirically examine the relationship between the Sustainable Development Index and a series of predictors with ecological impact. The methodology is based on quantitative analysis using multiple regression and comparative methods, covering the period from 2005 to 2022 for EU member states.The dependent variable is the Sustainable Development Index (SDGI), expressed as the total score for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (ranging from 0 to 100), while the independent variables used include: net CO₂ emissions (or equivalent) in tons per capita, the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption, municipal waste (in kg) generated per capita, the circular material use rate (%), the rate of premature mortality due to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM<2.5μm), forest area (%), and revenues from the exploitation of natural resources (% of GDP). The tested hypothesis of dependence was H1: "Environmental factors influence sustainable development." The methodology aimed to validate a dependency relationship between the Sustainable Development Index and environmental predictors. The results largely confirm hypothesis H1, showing that reducing pollution and promoting renewable energy sources are essential for improving the Sustainable Development Index in the context of the European Green Deal. Moreover, the analysis highlights the complex relationships between environmental factors and sustainable development, offering valuable insights for improving future public policies aimed at achieving the goals of the New Green Deal. This paper contributes to the specialized literature by demonstrating the strong relationship between sustainable development and environmental determinants, and by emphasizing the social and economic benefits generated by ecological factors.

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