STUDENT ROUND TABLE – “TRANSITIONS IN A CHANGING WORLD: PERSPECTIVES AND CHALLENGES.”
Reading time: 5 min.
By Lorenzo Bondi and Andrea Corinaldesi
During the 2024/2025 International Week at the Cesare Alfieri School of Political Science, students discussed three major global transitions: energy, digital, and aerospace. The roundtable highlighted key challenges—economic, political, and technological—emphasizing the need for stable policies, digital inclusion, and international space cooperation. This initiative fostered international academic dialogue on pressing global issues.
ENERGY TRANSITION
Lorenzo and Andrea’s study found that the energy transition is a global shift from fossil fuels to renewables like solar and wind, requiring systemic changes in policy, industry, and society. Key drivers—decarbonization, electrification, digitalization, and decentralization—reinforce and influence each other, but the transition faces financial barriers, with an estimated €260 billion in annual investment needed by the EU by 2030. Due to high costs, consumers may face serious challenges, especially those in energy poverty, despite long-term benefits like job creation and lower renewable prices.
It is important to mention the European Green Deal (EGD), which aims for climate neutrality by 2050, with progress in emissions cuts (43% since 1990) and renewable investments. However, political and economic challenges persist, including industry resistance. For example, Lorenzo highlights tensions in the automotive sector: while the EU mandates zero-emission vehicles by 2035, some manufacturers claim they are unprepared, blaming high costs and job risks. Critics argue this reflects delayed adaptation, as companies like Volvo prove compliance is feasible with early electrification investments.
Geopolitical factors further complicate the transition. Ukraine’s rapid grid integration with the EU post-invasion shows resilience, but global progress slows due to lobbying, bureaucracy, and short-term energy security priorities. The transition demands stable policies, innovation investments, and equitable solutions to balance immediate costs with long-term sustainability.
DIGITAL TRANSITION
Arianna and Elisa’s analysis found that the digital transition represents a societal shift toward effectively using technology, rather than simply adopting it. While digital transformation refers to acquiring tools like smartphones, the transition focuses on mastering their use to achieve goals. The UN outlines five key areas for the transition: digital skills for people, connectivity, digital government services, regulations for safety and fairness, and economic growth through technology.
At the EU level, the Digital Decade strategy aims to empower citizens and businesses through digital skills, secure infrastructure, and modernized public services. Key initiatives include the EU Cybersecurity Strategy to combat cyber threats and the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive AI law, ensuring trustworthy Artificial Intelligence. The EU also promotes international cooperation, improving global internet governance and connectivity, such as partnerships with Latin America and India.
The EU’s vision is human-centric, ensuring digital advancements align with European values of freedom, protection, and fairness. Challenges remain in bridging the digital divide and guaranteeing equal access. Ultimately, the digital transition is an ongoing journey—not a fixed destination—requiring continuous adaptation to harness technology’s full potential for society.
AEROSPACE TRANSITION
Alessandro covered a particular transition that, as of today, has received little attention, the aerospace one. Alessandro’s research focused on the space race and on its evolution. At the very start of the second part of the 20th century, the so-called space race was between the USA and the Soviet Union, primarily serving as a tool for propaganda and military competition.
After the decline of the Soviet Union, other international actors, such as China, Japan and the European Union, emerged in the space sector. In recent decades, the Space Age has entered a new phase characterized by the rise of private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, alongside government agencies. By mentioning that, Alessandro has shown that this public-private dualism now shapes most of the global space investment.
This transition is transforming three major areas: Economy, International Cooperation and Defence. Economically, the Low Earth Economy has already become a reality, involving satellite deployment, supply chains and emerging sectors like space tourism.
The rapid growth of the space economy poses a potential and real danger. It brings environmental risks, particularly the escalating problem of space debris, which threatens satellites and could jeopardize future missions.
In 2020 NASA founded the Artemis Program which aims to expand human presence beyond Earth. Signed by eight nations, the Artemis Accord promotes a peaceful collaboration and creates new legal standards for space activities. These developments show both the opportunities and the complex challenges that define today’s Space Age.
IN CONCLUSION
The sixth Erasmus+ International Week offered a valuable platform to reflect on some of today’s most critical global transitions. The contribution of this initiative made by the students and through the debate created on the topics, can have the potential to strengthen the university’s engagement with major global challenges and encourage a more dynamic, international academic environment.
The energy transition illustrates the struggle between long-term sustainability and short-term economic realities; the digital transition reveals the need for inclusive, values-driven technological progress; and the aerospace transition introduces new economic possibilities alongside emerging environmental and security concerns.
Together, these discussions underscore that while transitions bring promise, they also require careful governance, innovation, and international cooperation to ensure they lead to positive outcomes for all.