Monitoring the SDGs in North-West Romania region, Romania

The research work contributes to establishing a relevant and applicable set of indicators for monitoring the achievement of the SDGs at the regional level. The analysis was developed within the “REGIONS2030: project, launched by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in collaboration with DG REGIO and ESTAT, and supported by the European Parliament. The principal finding of the review is the identification of 47 indicators for which statistical data are readily available for Nord-Vest. This core group of indicators provides insight into the progress made by the region towards achieving 13 SDGs. Complementarily, a group of 28 additional proxy indicators are proposed for the region, which provides further details on the performance of Nord-Vest. Last, 18 indicators falling under 11 SDGs have been identified with readily available NUTS0-level data that could also be reported at the NUTS2 level. The main challenges faced during data collection include scarcity of readily available NUTS2-level data, inconsistencies in data availability and low levels of harmonisation across available data sources. Possible steps to address the existing challenges and gaps include • ensuring that all data are expressed in standardised form across NUTS2-level jurisdictions, • aligning the periods for which statistics are published with the multiannual planning cycles, and • ensuring that administrative data are communicated annually to conduct trend analysis.