Development sustainability levels in EU countries

Abstract

This article is a response to the existing need for seeking and improving research methods aimed to assess the achievement of sustainable development goals. The article evaluates the levels of development of EU countries from the perspective of particular development components: economic, social, and environmental, as well as development sustainability levels in those three aspects. The research shows that in 2010–2021, EU countries made a general progress from the perspective of all the aspects of development. Development dynamics in the period after the adoption of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development increased as compared with the preceding period with respect to social and economic development, but not from the point of view of environmental issues. Development processes in EU countries do not indicate a higher level of cohesion with regard to the three components of development: economic, social, and environmental issues. Therefore, development in the analysed countries cannot be regarded as fully sustainable.