Quote this publication 

Nguyen, P.-V. & Breucker, F. “Sufficiency, the year after”, Policy Brief, Jacques Delors Institute, September 2024

Until now, energy sufficiency has been viewed as a temporary crisis management tool, activated in response to spikes in fossil fuel prices (such as the oil shocks of the 1970s and the gas crisis of 2021) rather than as a political objective in its own right that could be sustained over time. Although a new French energy sufficiency plan was scheduled to be presented in the fall of 2024, the dissolution of the National Assembly has disrupted the political agenda. Nevertheless, the success of France’s decarbonization strategy now more than ever depends on moving from emergency-driven sufficiency to policies that recognize the urgency of sufficiency itself.

The absence of a clear majority in the Palais Bourbon is forcing deputies to try out a new method of political decision-making, that of true parliamentarianism. In the absence of a coalition agreement, it will be necessary to form ad hoc majorities on a text-by-text basis. One of the most pressing issues is the need to define the major objectives of France’s energy and climate policy within a Law of Energy and Climate Programming (LPEC). This initiative, which could potentially gain transpartisan support—as it is part of the Nouveau Front Populaire’s program and the “legislative pact” of the Republican Right (formerly LR) — would provide an opportunity to debate energy consumption and usage reduction strategies across different time horizons. In essence, it would involve consulting citizens on their willingness to embrace these changes, as well as the necessary conditions (such as timing, the example set by public authorities, and investments in low-carbon alternatives) to facilitate the implementation of sufficiency policies.