Decade of Progress: A multidimensional measurement and assessment of energy sustainability in EU − 27 nations

Jarosław Brodny and Magdalena Tutak

Applied Energy, 2025, vol. 382, issue C, No S0306261924026060

Abstract: The article presents the results of a study of the sustainable energy development of the European Union (EU) countries between 2013 and 2022. The study was conducted according to a two-level research methodology developed specifically for this purpose, using 19 selected indicators that characterize development across four dimensions: energy security, economic, environmental, and social. Their goal was to provide a comprehensive and multidimensional assessment of this development in the years under study. The result of the essential two-stage research process was the determination of the index values of the individual dimensions included in the study, as well as the total sustainable energy development index (SEDI). The COPRAS method was used to determine the values of the dimensional indices, and the CRITIC and Entropy methods and Laplaceʼs criterion were used to determine the index weights. Based on these results, an assessment of the level of sustainable energy development in the EU-27 countries was conducted. The rankings determined for each dimension and the comprehensive assessment reveal that Sweden and Finland achieved the best results in sustainable energy development, whereas Malta and Cyprus scored the lowest. Moreover, the efficiency of sustainable energy development in the EU-27 countries was also evaluated based on the indices of change dynamics of the selected indicators. These results, which more specifically assess individual sub-areas between 2013 and 2022, indicate that Malta and Latvia showed the greatest progress in energy sustainability efficiency, while Spain showed the least. The two research approaches to assessing the energy sustainability of the EU-27 countries presented in this paper offer a broad and multidimensional perspective on the energy transition. The results obtained have significant potential applications and should be utilized in the development and implementation of energy policies and strategies for sustainable energy development in the EU.

Keywords: Energy sustainability; Energy sustainability efficiency; Holistic assessment; Multidimensional approach; EU-27 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.125222

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