A regional multi-criteria assessment of European education and training systems

This paper proposes a multi-criteria sorting and ranking approach based on ELECTRE TRI to assess educational performance across 200 European regions, across the 2020-2024 period. The analysis relies on criteria from early childhood education to adult learning within the European Union’s Education and Training 2030 (ET2030) framework. To address uncertainty in preference-related parameters, the worst and best categories each region can attain over an admissible parameter space are identified using linear programming. Rankings are obtained under pessimistic and optimistic perspectives, both derived to be consistent with the sorting results. The results are complemented with a SMAA-TRI analysis producing category acceptability indices, which are further aggregated to yield alternative compatible rankings. Through four modelling scenarios, the study examines the effects of imposing veto thresholds and a partial order on criteria weights favouring earlier education stages. The results reveal a persistent geographical divide, with lagging regions concentrated in Romania and southern Italy, and top performers mainly in Northern and Western Europe. The greatest improvements were observed across Ireland, Poland, Sweden, Hungary, and Croatia, while Romania remains stagnant and most German regions declined.