Introduction Green economy is an emerging paradigm at the heart of the economic and political agenda of the majority of developed countries. The concept of green economy is directly related to climate change and energy efficiency that are environmental “problems” with clear political and social implications (Khor 2011). The sustainability question is gaining significance as a “global explosion” produced by the scarcity of vital resources (energy, land, water) and global warming appears to become more realistic and a crucial issue of growing interest among policy makers and economists after Rio +20 (Loorbach 2010, UNEP 2011). However, green economy is a complex concept that has not yet received an international consensus with scholars debating on the different interpretations and meanings of “green growth”. Between those who argued that green growth is the best potential way out of the financial crisis and onto a sustainability paradigm (OECD 2009, Makower and Pike 2009, Bosselmann et al. 2012) and others who consider it just an oxymoron or paradox (Ulrich 2012, Ploeg Van Der and Withagen 2013), it is a fact that even Europe has to face global challenges that impose strategic choices. Europe is aware of the need to rethink the existing development model based on decades of resource intensive growth as well as to structurally change production patterns and consumption behaviours (EC 2010a). European Member States recently have decided to address these questions with a strong political response that can offer serious opportunities to 123 Journal of Urban and Regional Analysis, vol. V, 2, 2013, p. 123 - 142 Abstract: European cities and regions are facing the crucial challenge of greening their economy towards more sustainable patterns. Politicians and policy-makers should promote new policies for sustainable growth including renewables, greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency and biodiversity. All of these aspects can be considered as a boost for local and regional economy. In this regard, European countries and regions can benefit from the Europe 2020 Strategy which is defined as Europe’s blueprint for a smart, sustainable and inclusive future, providing a ten year roadmap for growth and jobs. EU2020S was designed as a European exit strategy from the global economic and financial crisis in view of new European economic governance. This study discusses the above issues regarding Italy and intends to provide some answers on the perspectives of the new EU2020S. It draws from a research project supported by ESPON, the S.I.E.S.T.A. Project, focused on the territorial dimension of the EU2020S. Therefore, this paper aims at analyzing Italian regional patterns on climate change, green economy and energy within the context of EU2020S and at providing policy recommendations for better achieving the goals of the Strategy. Key Words: green economy, energy, climate change, Europe 2020, Italy. ANALYSING ITALIAN REGIONAL PATTERNS IN GREEN ECONOMY AND CLIMATE CHANGE. CAN ITALY LEVERAGE ON EUROPE 2020 STRATEGY TO FACE SUSTAINABLE GROWTH CHALLENGES? Francesco BONSINETTO 1) , Enzo FALCO 2) 1) University “Mediterranea” of Reggio Calabria, Italy 2) Sapienza University of Rome, Italy