The Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs) are used to monitor the EU Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS). They are presented in ten themes. Of more than 100 indicators, eleven have been identified as headline indicators. They are intended to give an overall picture of whether the European Union has achieved progress towards sustainable development in terms of the objectives and targets defined in the strategy. Each indicator can be analyzed and presented for each country in the EU. In this study we evaluated some of the indicators for Romania and Hungary, two neighboor countries with similar natural conditions, but with different results as we can conclude after this research. The purpose of this paper is to understand how regional disparities can influence the development of countries

Blaga Diana

Gaită Ruxandra Maria

Mateoc-Sirb Nicoleta

Morariu Lucian

English

University of Szeged

Agrár- és Vidékfejlesztési Szemle 2011. vol. 6. (1) supplement „TRADITIONS, INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY” Hódmezővásárhely, 5th May 2011 Conference CD issue ISSN 1788-5345   513AVALUATION OF SUSTAINEBLE DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS FO R RAMONIA AND HUNGARY  MORARIU ∗, LUCIAN ,  DIANA BLAGA ∗ RUXANDRA GAIŢĂ∗ NICOLETA MATEOC-SÎRB∗ lucian.morariu@uex-usamvbt.org   Abstract - Avaluation of sustaineble development indicators fo Ramonia and Hungary The Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs) are us d to monitor the EU Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS). They are presented in ten themes. Of more than 100 indicators, eleven have been identified as headline indicators. They are intended to give an overall picture of whether the European Union has achieved progress towards sustainable development in terms of the objectives and targets defined in the strategy. Each indicator can be analyzed and presented for each country in  the EU. In this study we evaluated some of the indicators for Romania and Hungary, two neighboor countries with similar natural conditions, but with different results as we can coclude after this research. The purpose of this paper is to understand how regional disparities can influence the development of countries.  Keywords: economic development, social inclusion, public health      INTRODUCTION  The EU Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) sets out a coherent approach to how the EU will more effectively live up to its long-standing commitment to meet the challenges of sustainable development. It reaffirms the overall aim of achieving continu us improvement of the quality of life and well-being on earth for present and future generations, through the creation of sustainable communities able to manage and use resources effici ntly and to tap the ecological and social innovation potential of the economy, ensuring prosperity, environmental protection and social cohesion. The key objectives of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy are the following: • Environmental Protection. Safeguard the earth's capacity to support life in all its diversity, respect the limits of the planet's natural resources and ensure a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment.  • Social Equity And Cohesion. Promote a democratic, socially inclusive, cohesive, healthy, safe and just society with respect for fundamental rights and cultural diversity that creates equal opportunities and combats discrimination in all its forms. • Economic Prosperity. Promote a prosperous, innovative, knowledge-rich, competitive and eco-efficient economy which provides high living standards and full and high-quality employment throughout the European Union. • Meeting International Responsibilities. Encourage the establishment and defend the stability of democratic institutions across the world, based on peace, security and freedom.                                                    ( Banat´s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Timişoara – Faculty of Agricultural Management Agrár- és Vidékfejlesztési Szemle 2011. vol. 6. (1) supplement „TRADITIONS, INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY” Hódmezővásárhely, 5th May 2011 Conference CD issue ISSN 1788-5345   514EVALUATION OF MAIN SUSTAINEBLE DEVELOPMENT INDICATO RS  The SDI framework is based on ten themes, reflecting the seven key challenges of the strategy, as well as the key objective of economic prosperity, and guiding principles related to good governance. The themes follow a general gradient from the economi , to the social, and then to the environmental and institutional dimensions. They are further divided into sub-themes to organise the set in a way that reflects the operati nal objectives and actions of the sustainable development strategy. With this paper we decided to analyze the theme indicators for Romania and Hungary,  to understand the impact and effect of different economic and social actions on the local communities. A. Socio-economic development theme. Sustainable socio-economic development is a core element of the European Union's Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS). The strategy sets out the objective of promoting a prosperous, innovative, knowledge-rich, competitive and eco-efficient economy, which provides high living standards and full and high-quality employment throughout the European Union. The following table presents the evolution of GDP per capita as a percentage of the previous period. We can see that over the analyzed period, both at EU level and in Romania and Hungary has been a continuous growth of this indicator until 2009, when due to the global crisis, GDP declined by 6.9 % for Romania and 6.5% for Hungary, compared with 2008.  Table 1. Real GDP per capita, growth rate and totals – percent change previous period  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 EU-27 3,6 1,7 1 0,9 2 1,5 2,8 2,5 0,1 -4,6 1,6 1,5 1,9 Hungary 5,2 4 4,4 4,3 4,8 3,4 3,8 0,9 1 -6,5 1,2 2,9 3,3 Romania 2,5 5,8 8 5,5 8,8 4,4 8,1 6,5 7,5 -6,9 -1,7 1,7 4  From Table 2 we can see that GDP per capita increased from 1,800 euros in 2000 to 29 0 euros in 2009 for Romania. Although Hungary’s GDP didn’t i creased as much, we see that throughout the analyzed period, the GDP per capita of Hungary has been and remains at levels two times higher compared to Romania.  Table 2. Real GDP per capita, growth rate and totals – euro/ inhabitant  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 EU-27 19100 19400 19600 19800 20200 20500 21000 21600 21600 20600 Hungary 5000 5200 5500 5700 6000 6200 6400 6500 6500 6100 Romania 1800 1900 2100 2200 2400 2500 2700 2900 3100 2900  B. Sustainable consumption and production theme. The EU Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS) sets out the objective of promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns. Addressing social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems and decoupling economic growth from environmental degration is an essential requirement for sustainable development. The indicator is expressed in Euro/Kg (the quantity of raw materials extracted from the domestic territory of the focal economy, plus all physical imports minus all physical exports).  Agrár- és Vidékfejlesztési Szemle 2011. vol. 6. (1) supplement „TRADITIONS, INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY” Hódmezővásárhely, 5th May 2011 Conference CD issue ISSN 1788-5345   515Table 3. Resource productivity   EURO/kg  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 European Union (27 countries) 1,21 1,24 1,27 1,3 1,27 1,28 1,29 1,3 Hungary 0,45 0,43 0,45 0,46 0,42 0,38 0,47 0,6 Romania 0,18 0,15 0,17 0,16 0,16 0,16 0,16 0,14  Regarding this indicator, we observe that in particular Romania and Hu gary, the values are very low compared to EU average, this being due primarily to a inefficient process of use of resources.   Figure 1. Resource productivity  C. Social inclusion theme. Overall Objective: To create a socially inclusive society by taking into account solidarity between and within generations and to secure and increase the quality of life of citizens as a precondition for lasting individual well-being. Table 4 shows the population at risk of poverty. While this indicator for EU average is 23.1% in 2009, in Hungary it reaches 29.9% and for Romania recorded the highest percentage of 43.1%.  Table 4. Population at-risk-of-poverty or exclusion - %  2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 European Union (27 countries) - - 26 25 24,5 23,6 23,1 Hungary - - 32,1 31,4 29 28,2 29,9 Romania - - - - 45,9 44,2 43,1 The value of this indicator is concern for Romania, reflecting the fact that almost half of our country's inhabitants live in precarious conditions, quality of life and standard of living are strongly affected by the low level of income, commercial facilities, etc.  Agrár- és Vidékfejlesztési Szemle 2011. vol. 6. (1) supplement „TRADITIONS, INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY” Hódmezővásárhely, 5th May 2011 Conference CD issue ISSN 1788-5345   516D. Demographic changes theme Table 5 presents the employment rate of older people. Regarding this indicator, we notice that 46% of elderly people (55-64 years old) in the EU were employed in 2009, in Hungary the figure is 32.8%, while in Romania it was 42.6%. This indicator reflects the fact that older people can find a job with real opportunities to have a place where they can work.  Table 5. Employment rate of older workers - %  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 EU-27 36,9 37,7 38,5 40 40,7 42,3 43,5 44,6 45,6 46 Hungary 22,2 23,5 25,6 28,9 31,1 33 33,6 33,1 31,4 32,8 Romania 49,5 48,2 37,3 38,1 36,9 39,4 41,7 41,4 43,1 42,6  E. Public health theme Overall objective: To promote good public health on equal conditi s and improve protection against health threats The indicator examined in Table 6 expresses the number of years lived by a person in good health, without requiring special care or intensive treatment for various age-specific diseases. As for Romania, this indicator is 62.6 years for women and 60 years for men. Table 6. Healthy Life Years  2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 EU-27 women - - - - 62,3 - Hungary women 57,8 - 53,9 56,97 57,6 58 Romania women - - - - 62,3 62,6 EU-27 men - - - - 61,5 - Hungary men 53,5 - 52 54,2 55 54,6 Romania men - - - - 60,4 60 The table below shows the life expectancy at birth. Note that the highest value is recorded by the EU women, they lived on average 82.37 years, while omen in Hungary live 78.25 years, and 77.22 years in Romania (for 2008). The men still live a few years less than women. However note that during the period under review, there is an increased life expectancy, regardless of gender or region.  Table 7. Life expectancy at birth  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 EU-27 women - - 80,87 80,82 81,49 81,54 82,01 82,2 82,37 - Hungary women 76,16 76,65 76,74 76,69 77,16 77,17 7,76 77,76 78,25 78,4 Romania women 74,75 74,88 74,7 75,04 75,53 75,7 76,18 76,86 77,22 77,39 EU-27 men - - 74,51 74,62 75,23 75,4 75,84 76,06 76,37 - Hungary men 67,55 68,24 68,34 68,37 68,73 68,69 69,2 69,38 69,97 70,26 Romania men 67,74 67,54 67,35 67,66 68,25 68,68 69,21 69,71 69,71 69,83    F. Climate change and energy theme. Overall Objective: To limit climate change and its costs and negative effects to society and the environment.  Greenhouse gas emissions - index base year = 100  This indicator shows trends in total man-made emissions of the "Kyoto basket" of greenhouse gases. It presents annual total emissions in relation to "Kyoto base year". In Agrár- és Vidékfejlesztési Szemle 2011. vol. 6. (1) supplement „TRADITIONS, INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY” Hódmezővásárhely, 5th May 2011 Conference CD issue ISSN 1788-5345   517general the base year is 1990 for the non-fluorinated gases and 1995 for the luorinated gases.   Table 8. Greenhouse gas emissions - index base year = 100  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 EU-27 90,9 91,9 91,1 92,5 92,5 91,9 91,6 90,5 88,7 Hungary 79,2 81,3 79,1 82,2 81,2 82 80,3 77,8 75,1 Romania 56,3 58,2 60,8 63,5 64,2 61,8 63,7 63,1 60,3  From the table above we see that the index of emissions of greenhouse gases is the lowest in Romania's case, its value being 60.3 in 2008, while for Hungary is 75.1 and for the EU the index value being 88.7. This reduced index in Romania may be due to a steady decline in the industrial sector in our country. However, while this figure has declined over the period for the EU and Hungary, in Romania, the trend was increasing from 56.3 in 2000 to 60.3 in 2008.   G. Sustaineble transport theme. Overall Objective: To ensure that our transport systems meet society’s economic, social and environmental needs whilst minimisi g their undesirable impacts on the economy, society and the environment.  Table 9. Energy consumption of transport relative to GDP - Index 2000 = 100  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 EU-27 100 99,1 98,7 99 98,9 97,6 96,7 95,5 Hungary 100 100,5 101,4 101,4 100,1 104,5 112,1 110,9 Romania 100 113,9 115,5 109,9 120,7 94,1 90,1 91  H. Natural resources theme. Overall Objective: To improve management and avoid overexploitation of natural resources, recognising the value of ecosystem services. This is an area where there is clearly unsustainable trends. There have been positive developments in areas such as water and air, although further efforts are needed. There is a growing demand for natural resources, which exceed the carrying capacity of Earth. This is a challenge to be addressed urgently. Biodiversity is declining world ide and in the EU, due to damage ecosystems and the objectives set for 2010 were not met. I. Global partnership theme. Regarding this theme, targets under the EU SDS focus on promoting sustainable development actively worldwide and ensure that the European Union's internal and external policies are consistent with global sustainable development and its international commitments. Official development assistance (ODA) consists of grants or loans that are undertaken by the official sector with promoti n of economic development and welfare in the recipient countries as the main objective. From the next table we can see that ODA for the UE is 0,42% of GNI, while for Hungary this is only 0,09% and for Romania 0,08%. Table 10. Official development assistance as share of gross national income - %  2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 EU-27 - - 0,41 0,41 0,37 0,4 0,42 Hungary 0,03 0,07 0,1 0,13 0,08 0,08 0,09 Romania - - - 0 0,07 0,07 0,08  Agrár- és Vidékfejlesztési Szemle 2011. vol. 6. (1) supplement „TRADITIONS, INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY” Hódmezővásárhely, 5th May 2011 Conference CD issue ISSN 1788-5345   518J.  Good governance theme. Good governance issues are addressed in the EU Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS). The objective is to promote coherence between local, regional, national and global actions in order to enhance their contibution to sustainable development.  The operational objectives and targets for this theme are: • Policy coherence and effectiveness • Openess and participation • Economic instruments  CONCLUSIONS  There are several disparities but also some similarities regarding Romania and Hungary, two neighboor countries. We can see that even if the natural conditions are almost the same, there are other factors that can have an impact on the economic and so i l areas. The evaluation of progress since 2000 based on the headline indicators show a rather mixed picture: • Changes since 2000 are clearly favourable for GDP per capita in Hungary and Romania, and  also at EU level. The resource productivity is alfo f v urable for Hungary and EU, but in Romania we see a decrease regarding this indicator;  • Moderately favourable changes for energy consumption of transport in Romania and EU, while in Hungary the index has increased to 110,9; employ ent rate of older workers Is favourable for Hungary and EU, while in Romania the rate has dropped from 49,5%  in 2000 to 42,6% in 2009 ;  • The risk of poverty rate remained broadly stable but in Romania this rate is very high (43,1%) compared with the EU average (23,1%);  • Moderately unfavourable changes for  Romania regarding greenhouse gas emissions, where the index is rising from 56,3 in 2000 to 60,3 in 2008, but this value is still under the EU (88,7) or Hungary (75,1) level.   REFERENCES  Eurostat - http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/eurostat/home/ GDP and beyond - Measuring progress in a changing world Sustainable development in the European Union - 2009 monitoring report of the EU sustainable development strategy    

Evaluation of sustainable development indicators for Romania and Hungary

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Evaluation of sustainable development indicators for Romania and Hungary

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