The primary objective of this research was to determine the impact of renewable energy, alternative and nuclear energy, urbanization, energy use, and fossil fuel energy consumption on Romanian economic development. To investigate the relation between variables, we employed the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) technique in conjunction with FMOLS (Fully Modified Least Squares) and CCR (Canonical Cointegrating Regression). Long-run and short-run findings suggest that alternative and nuclear energy, as well as fossil fuel consumption, has a positive association with economic growth, but renewable energy, urbanization, and energy usage have an adversative relationship with economic growth. Similarly, FMOLS and CCR statistics indicate that alternative and nuclear energy and fossil fuel consumption have a favorable impact on economic development. Renewable energy consumption, urbanization, and energy use, on the other hand, revealed a negative connection with economic progress. Conservative solutions are necessary to implement appropriate policies to address energy consumption concerns in Romania in order to improve economic development.

Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) is vital for promoting sustainable development by enhancing resource efficiency, minimizing waste, and fostering sustainable practices across supply chains. This research investigates sustainable production and consumption dynamics in European Union countries, drawing on official data from the EU Statistical Office (Eurostat). It employs the AAA (Holt–Winters) exponential smoothing algorithm to analyze trends in selected sustainability indicators. Despite notable progress, challenges such as regional disparities and economic barriers remain significant. This research provides critical insights into the evolution of responsible consumption and production across EU countries, projecting trends until 2030. The findings emphasize the need for integrated policies, sustainable practices, and collaborative efforts among stakeholders to meet the EU’s sustainability objectives. Achieving these goals is essential for realizing the 2030 sustainability targets and transitioning to a climate-neutral economy by 2050, ensuring long-term ecological and economic resilience.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes the interconnectedness of its economic, social, and environmental dimensions, recognizing their essential role in promoting human well-being. This study provides an in-depth analysis of EU Member States’ progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15—Life on Land—as outlined in the 2030 Agenda. Using official data from Eurostat, this study applies the AAA (Holt–Winters) exponential smoothing algorithm to analyze trends in key indicators from 2011 to 2021 and project these trends to 2030. The results reveal notable progress in the first years since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda but also highlights drought and soil erosion as escalating risks, particularly in Mediterranean regions and areas of intensive agriculture (Spain, Cyprus, Greece). Water quality emerges as a critical concern, and, alongside the ongoing rise in soil sealing, presents an added threat to ecological stability, agricultural productivity, and overall well-being.

The bioeconomy is an essential framework for sustainable economic growth in the European Union (EU), leveraging biomass transformation into bioenergy, biofuels, and other high-value products. This study examines the socio-economic impact of bio-based electricity and liquid biofuels in EU from 2008 to 2021, focusing on employment, turnover, and value added at factor cost. Cluster analysis shows that EU countries are divided into four groups based on socio-economic outcomes in the bioenergy sector, highlighting significant differences between Western and Eastern Europe. Notably, countries like Germany, France, and Italy lead in bioenergy development, supported by robust policy frameworks, while several Central and Eastern Europe Countries (CEECs), face challenges in advancing bioeconomy sectors. The analysis also puts forward a socio-economic indicator of bioeconomy (SEIB), which highlights national differences and potential growth paths for the bio-based energy sector. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers to address regional inequalities and promote sustainable bioeconomic practices across the EU. The study underscores the need for consistent data collection to support future bioeconomy research and policy formulation.

The bioeconomy is a complex and increasingly relevant field, and agriculture represents an essential sector for its development. The bioeconomy presents an opportunity for sustainable agriculture that is beneficial for the environment and public health, both globally and particularly for nations with centralized agricultural systems, such as the former socialist Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs). This article takes a novel approach to investigate the bioeconomic indicators in CEECs’ agriculture. It combines the hierarchical grouping method with an index based on socioeconomic indicators specific to the bioeconomy. It aims to find how the selected countries performed in terms of agriculture indicators. The socioeconomic indicator analysis showed that some countries had more linear evolutions than others, while some of them clearly outperformed the average of the region. The cluster analysis divided the countries into three relevant groups. The findings revealed patterns of convergence, but also important differences in the region. These results strengthen the scientific basis for the creation of agricultural bioeconomy strategies and argue for the need of the active engagement of all BIOEAST members in the initiative. We argue that agricultural architectures in Central and Eastern European countries are not just determined by employment circumstances or the extent of agricultural areas, but also by the dynamics of the value of the indicators.

The developments over the period 2008-2023 confirm that SMEs represent the backbone of the European economy, as they represent around 99.8% of all active businesses in Europe, and generate about 52% (Di Bella et al. 2023) of total value added in the EU. Naturally, they also ensure employment for almost 85 million people living in the EU-27, and their embeddedness in the communities also contributes to improving social and cultural life, as they spread from large cities to rural regions and smaller towns. Numbering about 24.4 million SMEs, their distribution is somewhat skewed in favour of micro-sized firms which employ fewer than nine people. 1.32 million enterprises are small, and employ between 10 and 49 persons; only 202.278 out of total are medium-sized and employ 50 to 249 persons (Eurostat and Statista data).