This issue focuses on an in-depth analysis of the European Union's proposed budget for 2028-2034 and addresses key issues such as the vulnerability of territories in the current geopolitical competition and the increasingly strategic role of the space industry in international politics.

The picture is completed by analyses of the EU's strategic axes and intervention instruments, the European Commission's work programme for 2026 and in-depth analyses of innovation and technology transfer in the Blue Economy, as well as the prospects for food and wine tourism in the Euro-Mediterranean area.

Contributors to this issue:
Lorenzo Artuso, Marco Boscolo, Salvio Capasso, Agnese Casolaro, Andrea Conte, Filippo di Pietro, Maurizio Di Pietro, Roberta Garganese, Roberta Garibaldi, Luigi Iavarone, Giulio Limpido, Claudio Lubatti, Nunzio Mastrorocco, Francesco Notari, Alessandro Panaro.

We would like to thank the following for their collaboration:
Digitarca, Intesa Sanpaolo – European Regulatory & Public Affairs, Istituto Pugliese di Ricerche Economiche e Sociali (IPRES), JRC (Joint Research Centre), Ogyre, T1 Solutions Group, Wearable Robotics