Functional analysis in R: A new approach to sustainability indicators in the context of regional development

Digitalisation, together with new possibilities for data analysis, is currently gaining importance for regional development. This study focusses on the use of advanced statistical methods in R software, such as generalised linear models (GLM) and envelope methods from the GET package, to analyse time series of sustainability indicators in EU regions at the NUTS level. Analysis of selected sustainability indicators, such as the Human Development Index in its variants from the United Nations and the EU, compared to GDP shows that these methods enable effective identification of key trends and differences between groups of regions, while also identifying regions with similar trajectories. They also allow for advanced visualisation of the results, illustrating the effectiveness of EU cohesion policies at the regional level and their impact on reducing regional disparities. The analysis shows that functional analysis tools in R can be used for further research on sustainability in EU regions.