Security, competitiveness and sovereignty: why sufficiency matters for the EU

As Europe navigates rising geopolitical tensions and resource constraints, civil society organisations are urging EU institutions to prioritise sufficiency as a strategic tool for resilience. In light of the European Commission’s Clean Industrial Deal, which champions competitiveness, decarbonisation, and circularity, sufficiency policies have emerged as a critical yet underutilised complement to existing efficiency measures. By intentionally reducing resource and energy use, sufficiency can help cut costs, boost autonomy, and meet environmental targets without deepening reliance on third-country imports. 

ACR+, alongside seven other organisations, has co-authored a new policy brief calling on the European Commission and Parliament to mainstream sufficiency across ongoing sectoral legislation. The brief outlines ten concrete proposals, including binding resource use and energy reduction targets, reforms to public procurement, and action on underused buildings and water efficiency. ACR+ particularly emphasised the potential of public procurement reforms to drive systemic change, highlighting the need for mandatory price-quality criteria and green procurement targets. The coalition also released a broader manifesto advocating for sufficiency as a cornerstone of the EU’s strategic agenda. 

Read the policy brief here.