The Impact of Macroeconomic Factors on the Sustainable Development of the Logistics Industry in the Baltic Sea Region

ABSTRACT The macroeconomic variables' impact on the Sustainable Development (SD) of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) logistics industry between 2008 and 2022 was analysed using Fixed Effects panel models. The Sustainable Development Index (SDI) captures environmental, economic, and social dimensions. It is discovered that GDP and unemployment rate significantly influence SD ( p < 0.05), while other macroeconomic determinants are statistically insignificant. The findings indicate cross‐country variation: Estonia scores highest in the environmental pillar, Finland in the economic and social pillars, and Germany and Poland experience the highest challenges in achieving SD. The article has significant policy implications for policymakers, demanding that SD‐supporting policies be directed, particularly to regions with lower SD performance. The paper adds to the literature by putting macroeconomic impacts on SD into numbers, applying the SDI methodology to additional components, and testing its sensitivity to different component weights.