Sustainability Transition in the Visegrád Group: Shared Goals, Different Paths

Piotr M. Bolibok (), Bartłomiej Zinczuk and Anna Matras-Bolibok
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Piotr M. Bolibok: Department of Economic Policy and Banking, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al. Racławickie 14, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Bartłomiej Zinczuk: Department of Management, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Plac Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej 5, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
Anna Matras-Bolibok: Department of Microeconomics and Applied Economics, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Plac Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej 5, 20-031 Lublin, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-29

Abstract: This paper aims to investigate the sustainability performance trajectories of the Visegrád Group (V4) countries since their accession to the European Union. Given their shared historical, geopolitical, and socio-economic backgrounds, this study explores common evolutionary patterns and convergence within the sustainable development goal framework. This research employs the Kml3D non-parametric clustering algorithm and standard beta and sigma convergence tests. The analysis covers the 2004–2023 data sourced from the European Sustainable Development Report 2023/24 by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The findings demonstrate that while each country follows a distinct path, Czechia and Slovakia exhibit notable similarities in the evolution of individual sustainability dimensions. This underscores the influence of path dependence, institutional inertia, and cross-border policy coordination in sustainable development. The results also suggest that although the V4 countries generally converge in socio-economic and infrastructural dimensions of sustainability, divergence persists in education, gender equality, nature preservation, and institutional performance.

Keywords: sustainability; sustainable development goals; Visegrád Group; V4; comparative analysis; Kml3D clustering; convergence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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