I rapporti tra aiuti di Stato, tutela dell’ambiente e politica industriale

This paper examines the relationship between State aid, industrial policy, and environmental protection within European Union law, highlighting the growing need to properly balance the three pillars of sustainable development: economic, social, and environmental. The analysis focuses on the evolving field of State aid law, which is undergoing a profound transformation: from a set of rules aimed primarily at safeguarding competition to a policy instrument used by EU institutions to pursue strategic objectives, particularly in the areas of industrial and environmental policy. The paper reviews recent developments in case law as well as in the Commission’s decisional practice. Finally, it devotes special attention to the recent Clean Industrial Deal and the connected Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework, which, building on the recommendations of the Draghi Report, seek to foster both environmental protection and competitiveness across the EU.