Towards the green transition in the European regions. Assessing eco-efficiency in greenhouse gases emissions

Andrés, J. Picazo-Tadeo, Celia Melguizo and Jesús Peiró-Palomino
Additional contact information
Andrés, J. Picazo-Tadeo: Department of Applied Economics II, University of Valencia (Spain)
Celia Melguizo: Department of Applied Economics II, University of Valencia (Spain)
Jesús Peiró-Palomino: Department of Applied Economics II, University of Valencia (Spain)

No 2602, Working Papers from Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia

Abstract: A key objective of the green transition is to minimise the environmental impact of human activity while ensuring sustained economic progress. Efficiently allocating policy resources requires accurately measuring this intricate relationship. Eco-efficiency indicators are useful tools for this purpose, offering valuable insights to policymakers by assessing territories’ potential to minimise environmental impact while maintaining economic performance. This research calculates eco-efficiency scores in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, a major cause of global warming, for European Union regions in 2023. The results reveal significant disparities between and within countries. Generally, the Nordic and Western regions rank among the best performers, whereas the Central and Eastern European regions are mostly among the weakest performers. In a second stage, the paper addresses the study of the determinants of regional eco-efficiency. Relevant factors fostering performance include economic development, government quality, and social capital. Conversely, large industrial sectors hinder progress towards the green transition. These results emphasise the need for place-based policy interventions that prioritise technological upgrading, industrial diversification and innovation to foster emission reductions that are compatible with sustained economic growth. Moreover, reinforcing governance quality, institutional effectiveness and social capital can enhance policy implementation and sustain long-term eco-efficiency improvements.

Keywords: Eco-efficiency; European Green Deal; European Union; Greenhouse gases emissions; Green transition; regions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C61 D62 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-02
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://repecsrv.uv.es/paper/RePEc/pdf/eec_2602.pdf First version, 2602 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eec:wpaper:2602

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Working Papers from Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Vicente Esteve ().