Achieving sustainable development: A baseline analysis of Western and Eastern European countries

Abstract

Relevance. Sustainable development is now an increasingly important topic on the global agenda, which received much attention in connection with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Research objectives. The article aims to contribute to the understanding  of sustainability expansion and SDGs achievement in Europe by comparing the differences between Western and Eastern European countries.  

Data and methods. The study relies on descriptive statistics and comparative analysis of sustainable development results in Western (18) and Eastern European (21) countries. The parametric Student's t-distribution test and non-parametric U Mann-Whitney test were used to examine the significance of the differences between Western and Eastern European countries.

Results. Sustainable development in Eastern and Western European countries is affected by various economic, social and environmental processes. The SDGs in Western European countries is achieved mostly in the social and economic spheres while in the Eastern European countries, in social and environmental spheres. Although Europe leads globally on sustainability, it still faces significant challenges in reaching the SDGs.

Conclusions. European countries are compared in order to identify the main SDGs directions and constraints in the current state of sustainability achievement. Research findings can be useful for adjustment of the integrated sustainable development strategy at the global and national levels.