Measuring the Environmental Sustainability of 2030 Agenda 2030 Implementation in EU Countries : How Different Assessment Methods Affect Results?

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030) is a plan of action for people, the planet, and prosperity. It contains 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) representing a 15-year development program (2015–2030). These goals integrate three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social, and environmental. The aim of the paper is to analyse the environmental dimension of Agenda 2030 in the EU-27 countries. We use the three most common evaluation methods: SDG Index based on the arithmetic mean, Distance Measure, and Progress Measure, always using the same world and European indicators. The results showed substantial differences between EU countries in achieving the environmental goals of Agenda 2030. However, the country’s results and position among other countries have shown themselves to be very sensitive to the chosen statistical method and the indicators used. Evaluations revealed many discrepancies and inconsistencies that could lead to incorrect conclusions regarding a country’s political decision making