Comment réenchanter la sobriété ? 6 thèses issues du dialogue franco-allemand

For over two years, the Franco-German Forum for the Future has brought together experts and practitioners from France and Germany for an in-depth dialogue on the levers of, and obstacles to the energy transition in both countries. The concept of sufficiency was identified as one of its central pillars. Yet, sufficiency (sobriété in French, Suffizienz in German) holds a very different place in the discourse and strategies of the two countries. Omnipresent in France, it has not yet been officially recognized as a cornerstone of the energy transition in Germany. This discussion paper puts forward six theses that have emerged from the Franco-German comparison on sufficiency. It emphasizes the importance of going beyond an understanding of sufficiency as individual renouncement. Instead, there is a need to promote structural policies capable of both, making sufficient lifestyles desirable and promoting social equality.