We recommend to read a paper entitled: Challenges to regional competitiveness in the face of the twin transition.
Regional competitiveness has long been assessed through indicators focused on current performance, productivity, and living standards, yet emerging megatrends – particularly the green and digital (twin) transitions – challenge these traditional approaches. This study questions whether high competitiveness, as measured by RCI 2.0, corresponds to regions’ capacity to adapt to structural transformations. Using a synthetic Twin Capacity index for EU NUTS-2 regions, combining vulnerability and transformation readiness, the analysis reveals a lack of correlation between traditional competitiveness and adaptive capacity. The findings show significant regional diversity, identifying both leaders and regions at risk of transformation despite strong economic positions. The results highlight the need to reinterpret competitiveness as a dynamic, adaptation-oriented concept and to adjust policy instruments to better reflect diverse regional capabilities.