Posicionamento de Portugal face aos países da UE

: indicadores de economia circular

Abstract

Today, European companies and institutions are facing growing environmental challenges, driven by climate change, the scarcity of natural resources and the pressure to adopt more sustainable practices. The aim of this dissertation is to analyse Portugal's position in terms of CE in comparison with the other EU Member States, and the distinction of these same indicators between Western and Eastern European countries. The specific objectives include the statistical comparison between Western and Eastern European countries and the evaluation of Portugal's relative position, with an emphasis on the indicators in the European Commission's monitoring framework. The research adopts a quantitative method, using Eurostat data and applying statistical methods: non-parametric (Mann-Whitney U) and parametric (T-Student), using Power BI and SPSS tools. The study shows that Western Europe is more advanced in the transition to CE, while Eastern Europe is in line with Western Europe. Portugal stands out in some indicators in the Production and Consumption dimension, but remains below the EU average in the Waste Management, Secondary Material Resources and Competitiveness and Innovation dimensions. This performance may be related to consumption patterns, infrastructure limitations and lower investment in circular innovation. Despite this, Portugal has been implementing relevant policies such as the National Strategy to Combat Food Waste, the Action Plan for the CE 2030 and the Programme for Resource Efficiency in Public Administration. These initiatives demonstrate an effort to correct weaknesses and align with European targets.

Date of Award	21 Jul 2025
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Maria Alice Trindade (Supervisor)