Italy and its regions are competitive on green technologies. This is what emerges from a research of the Enrico Fermi Research Center (CREF), presented at the National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL) by researchers Angelica Sbardella and Aurelio Patelli as part of an event organized by CREF together with the Institute of Economics of the Sant'Anna High School and the Inequalities and Diversity Forum. The research stems from the attention that the research center has dedicated in recent years to Green Technologies (as defined by the Cooperative Patent Classification), which since the early 2000s have grown globally, especially in the energy and transport sectors. By studying specialization profiles and comparative advantages in patenting activity, it was possible to develop Green Technological Fitness, a measure of green competitiveness and the capabilities of national and regional innovation systems. CREF's research focuses geographically on Europe 28+ (EU with UK and Macedonia, Montenegro, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey) and on the period 2000-2016, which is particularly significant for the production of green patents in Europe. In fact, about 30% of the world's green innovations were developed in Europe (European Patent Office) in those years, while in 2000 patent activity in the field of technological innovations related to mitigation and adaptation to climate change was almost non-existent in most countries and the data after 2016 are not qualitatively sufficient to be used. From the point of view of the quantity of green patents filed, Italy in 2016 is fourth on equal footing with Spain with 4% (in 2000 it was 3%). Germany leads the way with 46% (down from 56%); second place for France with 17% (which doubles from 8% in 2000), and third place for the United Kingdom with 9% (from 8% in 2000). As regards Green Technological Fitness, in the context of Europe 28+, in 2016 there is a gradual increase in competitiveness of the countries of Southern and Eastern Europe. In particular, Italy is fifth after Germany, England, France and Austria. The relationship between income inequalities and countries' Green Technological Fitness is negative and significant because high inequality is associated with higher costs and uncertainty in the development of new technologies and green capabilities.
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