IL GREEN DEAL TRA AMBIZIONI (DA REALIZZARE) E PROMESSE (NON MANTENUTE) [The Green Deal between Ambitions yet to Be Fulfilled and Unkept Promises]

This paper provides a critical assessment of the European Green Deal’s implementation, highlighting the gap between its initial ambitions and the emerging tensions in its practical execution. Building on the strengthened regulatory framework introduced by the Fit for 55 packages, the analysis shows that progress in emissions reduction and renewable energy deployment has been accompanied by less favourable outcomes in terms of industrial competitiveness, energy security, and socio-economic sustainability. It points to the limitations of a predominantly regulatory and top-down approach, which has often underestimated the role of industrial policy and global asymmetries, contributing to relocation dynamics and technological dependency. Focusing on Italy, the paper identifies a mixed trajectory: substantial resource mobilisation – particularly through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – and advancements in renewables, environmental services, and regulation coexist with persistent challenges, including high energy costs, infrastructural gaps, and administrative fragmentation. Specific attention is devoted to incentive schemes, electricity market design, industrial transition, and the trade-offs between decarbonization, competitiveness, and social acceptance.