The new Green Deal in Europe

The European Parliament has recently stated that it wants the new Green Deal to be at the heart of the European Union (EU) recovery package, and in its resolution of 15 May 2020 called for an ambitious recovery plan that is in line with the core of the Green Agreement (European Parliament, 2020).
During the pandemic, the impact of COVID-19 on public life at European and global level has become unprecedented, leading to a slowdown in global economic activity. In particular, in Europe the decline in GDP of the euro area was 3.8% in the first quarter of 2020 (Eurostat, 2020). At the same time, due to the reduced economic and social activity of the citizens, a temporary reduction of energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions appeared to be recorded, which may affect the energy mix and the subsequent re-targeting of the Member States (European Parliament, 2020).
The European Commission Communication on the European Union next generation puts forward a € 750 billion recovery plan for the next 2021-2027. This plan, together with the next long-term EU budget approved by the Member States and Parliament, aims to create a greener, more digital and ultimately more sustainable Europe, as well as to increase resilience to other crises such as Climate Change (EC, 2020). The newly elected European Commission has presented the Europe Green Deal, a roadmap for Europe that is expected to become a climate-neutral continent by 2050 (EC, 2020).
In this context, energy and how it is produced and consumed are critical factors for the success and contribution to the achievement of the goals set by the 2050 time horizon for a climate-neutral continent with zero emissions into the atmosphere. The analysis of this transition and the socio-economic impact on EU member states, local regions, local communities and, ultimately, on European citizenship is interesting and useful.