What is the Role of Governments in Achieving the SDGS? Empirical Evidence from EU Countries

This research aimed to examine the role of governments in achieving sustainable development goals in EU nations from 2010 to 2021. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach was used to analyze the relationship between government spending on environmental protection, human development, energy consumption, and environmental innovations between 2010 and 2020. The study aimed to identify the main issues affecting government spending and environmental protection rates. The research also explored measures to help European nations establish growth and develop in a green environment without financial spending. The results showed a strong negative association between financial development, green energy consumption, consumption, scientific innovations, human capital, and the acceleration rate of government spending on environmental protection. However, the positive association was confirmed with fossil fuel consumption. The research aimed to understand the factors motivating European nations to achieve long-term development goals.