This research aims to rank the regions of the European Union based on their digital performance in public services, offering a new perspective on the digitalization process and its effects on the European public system. Therefore, the study examines the evolution of intensity and the impact of digitalization through the e-government framework, specifically from the perspective of the 27 member states of the European Union. Thus, the research analyzes the interplay between digital intensity, institutional quality, and adoptingadopting e-government services to understand the challenges and disparities across different regions. To evaluate the digital performance of the European Union regions, the analysis employs the following methods: (i) Principal Component Analysis to construct a composite Institutional Quality Index based on governance indicators, (ii) Gaussian graphical models to assess the relationships between digital intensity, institutional quality, and e-government highlighting the interconnections between variables, (iii) Data Envelopment Analysis to measure the relative efficiency of public service delivery, and (iv) cluster dendrograms to identify the clusters of countries with similar performance levels and challenges. The findings reveal disparities among nations and the contemporary challenges facing EU member states in implementing and adopting e-government initiatives. While Denmark and Finland often excel in digital service efficiency, countries like Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania may lag due to citizens’ limited digital infrastructure and digital literacy. However, it is to note that the quality of regulations, as reflected in the Institutional Quality Index, plays a significant role in successfully integrating digitalization. The study underscores the crucial role of digital adoption in enhancing the public sector’s performance, particularly when coupled with strong institutional frameworks.

This research analyses the influence of digitalisation (Digitalisation Composite Indicator (ITC)) on economic growth (GDP per capita) by scrutinising the progression of digitalisation intensity and its impact. Digital technology has the potential to exert a substantial influence on various facets of the national economy, significantly impacting economic growth, innovation, and overall quality of life. Given the disparities among European Union Member States concerning governance quality, the imperative of digitalisation becomes evident in advancing economic prosperity, irrespective of a country’s development status. Specifically, our study aims to evaluate the effects of the implementation of digital tools on economic growth in the Member States of the European Union (EU-27) from 2017 to 2021. Two advanced methods, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Ordinary Least Square model (OLS), were employed to conduct the empirical research. The findings indicate that before the pandemic, the level of digitalisation was subpar, marked by limited technological advancement. Nations exhibiting a heightened degree of digitalisation also demonstrate elevated levels of economic development. These results underscore countries’ need to realign and reconfigure their digital transformation strategies, emphasising incorporating digital technologies and cultivating ongoing innovation to bolster long-term economic growth. First publihed online 02 July 2025

Given that the European Union is facing complex fiscal challenges arising from recent crises, understanding the impact of fiscal rules, institutional governance, and economic performance is critical. This paper examines the effects of fiscal rules and sustainable development trajectories in the context of effective governance of EU member states, analysing how these rules affect fiscal resilience, which is understood as the government’s ability to maintain discipline, absorb shocks, and sustain growth without undermining macroeconomic stability. This study focuses in particular on 2012 to 2023: a period marked by post-crisis adjustments and institutional consolidation. To carry out the proposed empirical analysis, we apply a panel vector autoregressive (VAR) model to capture the dynamic interdependence between fiscal policy indicators, governance quality, and economic performance, offering a temporal and comparative perspective across countries with varying levels of compliance with fiscal rules. Our results indicate that strong fiscal rules are embedded in robust institutional frameworks that enhance fiscal resilience, stabilise public finances, and foster long-term, sustainable economic growth. This study also demonstrates that effective governance is essential for translating fiscal discipline into improved economic outcomes, providing insights for policymakers and researchers on sustainable development strategies. These findings contribute to the literature by highlighting how institutional quality and fiscal rules interact dynamically, particularly during periods of economic restructuring and regulatory adaptation.

This research examines the importance of effective public governance in maximising the well-being of citizens in EU member states. Our research strategy used an integrated modelling framework involving data mapping and an autoregressive model with distributed lags (ARDL) for 2012–2022 in the EU member countries. The results demonstrated that the World Governance Indicator (WGI) has a mixed impact on Quality of Life (QL). In the short term, the impact is positive if there is an increase in the level of the public governance indicator, and in the long term, the effect of public governance on the quality of life is negative due to the challenges associated with implementing reforms. Additionally, our results highlighted that, to improve citizens’ quality of life, policies should focus on increasing the Purchasing Power (PP) and Safety of Society (SS) as well as on issues related to Pollution (P) and the Cost of Living (CL). There are similarities between the long-term ARDL analysis estimate and the short-term one, with the latter pointing out that they will be able to have quick positive effects, while pollution and increased living costs have immediate adverse effects on quality of life.

In recent years, the European Union has played a key role in global efforts to combat climate change and the energy transition, focusing on creating fiscal, legal and regulatory policies and instruments capable of supporting the decarbonization process and ensuring a sustainable energy future. Environmental taxation has been considered not only as an essential tool to discourage pollution but also to stimulate cleaner energy production, the integration of renewable sources and energy efficiency. Our research analyses the impact of environmental tax revenues on CO₂ across 27 EU member states from 2012 to 2023. A mixed-method research approach is used, combining policy and strategy analysis, bibliometric mapping and econometric data analysis using OLS, as well as fixed and random effects models that are selected based on the Hausman test. The methodological mix approach provides empirical evidence on how fiscal instruments can simultaneously support environmental sustainability and energy resilience. The results show that environmental taxes are associated with greenhouse gas emission reductions and an increase in the share of renewable energy, especially when integrated into a coherent national policy framework. The policy analysis highlights the role of the Climate Action Budgetary Mechanism (CABM) and the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR), underlining their importance for the European Union’s energy strategy. The bibliometric results indicate the existence of thematic clusters focused on carbon pricing, renewable energies and international comparisons, particularly with China. Finally, this study suggests that the maximum efficiency of environmental taxes is achieved when the revenues generated are reinvested in green infrastructure, innovation and sustainable jobs. Furthermore, policies should be adapted to the specificities of each Member State to ensure a fair and sustainable energy transition at the EU level.