NextGenerationEU between pandemic, war, and energy transition. – The energy transition has been strongly questioned by the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The European Green Deal – designed and approved before the Covid-19 pandemic – became fully part of economic recovery program of the pandemic, and the war as well. Actually, the Green Deal becomes one of the fundamental pillars of the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Plan, as well as of NextGenerationEU and, consequently, of the various national plans related to it, including the Italian PNRR. As a typical win-win policy, NextGenerationEU must solve the problems related to the economic crisis, and those related to environmental quality, through the energy transition, as well. Obviously, the economic recover does not necessarily fit perfectly into an energy transition program. Actually, the policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions might imply many issues, related to economy and labor policies. Added to this are the socio-economic gaps between the countries that make up the EU, which have produced an energy divide (different levels of energy demand, different efficiency, different composition of primary energy sources), which has also further increased. from the pandemic, which requires a “calibrated” approach. This condition produces a more complex energy transition, and in many countries - especially those with the lowest GDP per capita - it could create obstacles to economic recovery. Although a Just Transition Mechanism has been prepared, precisely to bridge these gaps, the energy transition could be perceived as an external interference and a brake on growth, becoming a lever for forms of nationalism and sovereignty in key anti-European. The proposed work - after analyzing the structure of the energy supply in the EU, highlighting the inconsistencies in it - will address the impact of the Green Deal in the energy transition process associated with the relaunch of the economy.

Circular economy, institutions and enterprises in post-pandemic transition: two exam-ples in aerospace sector in Italy. – This paper aims to identify and illustrate some factors that have determined in recent years an acceleration of the transition process from the linear economy to the circular one in the European context. Among these factors: the change in attitude towards this issue by the business world, the greater impetus to carry out the transition provided by the institutions, and the advent of the Covid 19 pandemic, which, in addition to a health, economic and social crisis, has been seized, in Europe, as an opportunity for a post-pandemic recovery based on new models of organization of the economy and society. In particular, the latter aspect clearly emerges from the content of the European NextGenerationEU Program, implemented, in the Italian context, by the National Re-covery and Resilience Plan, Italy Tomorrow. The first part of the paper is dedicated to these issues, while the second part exemplifies these arguments with reference to the aerospace industry, in particular by illustrating the cases of two Italian SMEs in the sector that have strongly undertaken the transition process towards the circular economy. The paper concludes with some final considerations, which underline how institutions play a fundamental role in bridging the time gap between the short- and medium-term costs that must be incurred by companies in the transition process to the circular economy, and the long-term economic benefits that the realization of this path entails for the companies themselves.

The Mission Tourism and Culture in the PNRR: Unrepeatable Opportunity for the Sustainability of Italian Tourist Development. – The pandemic Covid19 has brought down tourism and the Italian Government, thanks to the funds made available by the European Union through the NextGenerationEU programme, has given to this sector a strong boost in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), granting a series of investments and financing useful for a new restarting, included in the culture and tourism mission. The article, therefore, will analyze the main guidelines on which this mission is based, trying to outline the future scenarios, highlighting the costs and benefits for Italy as a whole and for inland areas and old towns, which are currently very compromised due to the sharp demographic decrease and the ageing of the population. The funds available in the PNRR could be used to launch a different phase in Italy’s tourism development, completely overturning the geography of flows that until now have been concentrated on two main routes, namely cities of art and seaside tourism, with consequent environmental and social impacts. In conclusion, the PNRR may constitute a major turning point in this sector, allowing for a spread of tourist flows, easing the impact on the now traditional destinations, but also giving development opportunities to the marginal areas of our country, expanding tourist products vertically and innovating the entire system in a sustainable manner.