Development of Circular Economy in the Visegrad Group of Countries

Abstract

The circular economy is important in implementing EU Green Deal targets, climate change mitigation commitments, and pursuing sustainable development. A circular economy allows the reduction of waste and environmental damages linked to waste to save natural resources and mitigate climate change. The transition from linear to circular economy models provides many economic and environmental benefits and is a priority for most countries, especially developed ones. There is a need to measure and monitor the circular economy's progress. In this context, indicators can be useful tools to assess progress achieved by countries in pursuing circular economy development. The paper developed an indicators framework to measure circular economy development progress in the EU and applies the developed framework for Visegrad countries. The Visegrad Group (V4) includes four Central European countries, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, linked by similar geographical and geopolitical situations and common history and culture. MCDM tool ARAS was applied to ranking four Visegrad countries in 2010 and 2021 based on the progress achieved in circular economy development.