Institut Jacques Delors

This article examines the potential and challenges of sufficiency initiatives within the urban environment, focusing on their ability to bring people and politics together. Drawing on research from the EU-funded “FULFILL” project, which includes surveys, interviews and case studies in five EU Member States, this study explores the role of civil society initiatives in fostering sufficiency—a concept that advocates for meeting human needs within planetary boundaries by altering lifestyles, societal norms, and regulatory frameworks. Sufficiency initiatives find themselves in a precarious position against a backdrop of growth-oriented urban development and face barriers such as lack of resources, legal and regulatory challenges, measurement difficulties, and inertia of municipalities. However, the study also identifies examples of fruitful cooperation between municipalities and initiatives and identifies enablers for successful collaboration, including aligned goals, engaged individuals, and effective communication. By providing an outlook for short-, mid-, and long-term governance perspectives, this article argues for strategic niche management in the short term, development of metrics for sufficiency in the medium term, and a systemic shift in urban dynamics in the long term. As urban sufficiency initiatives offer services and infrastructure to promote sustainable living, they are critical players in guiding cities towards ecological and social resilience. This article contributes to the discourse on urban sustainability by highlighting the importance of municipalities in nurturing sufficiency initiatives that can drive social well-being and environmental stewardship.

The previousLamy, Pascal international order is being shaken by increasing tensions and a change in the balance between geoeconomics and geopolitics, resulting in less of a rules-based system more of a force-based system, which obliges us to consider new paths. Issues of environment, minority rights or intergenerational accountability need to be a part of new collective ambitions, rights and responsibilities. While a ‘tabula rasa’ approach would probably be unrealistic, a solution originating in the Westphalian model and the role of Europe’sEurope multilateral experience are the most likely pathways for a viable solution.

est autorisée que dans les limites des conditions générales d'utilisation du site ou, le cas échéant, des conditions générales de la licence souscrite par votre établissement.

ABSTRACT Few studies so far have analysed the effectiveness of differentiation in EU policies. This is surprising given the importance and permanence of many differentiated arrangements, for example in EU economic policy. Insights from three studies on differentiation in the energy sector, the financial sector and third-country access to Single Market highlight the importance of institutional factors. EU economic differentiated arrangements tend to be more effective when: (i) there is a good ‘fit’ between the institutional design and the policy objectives; (ii) there are mechanisms to adapt them over time; and (iii) there are institutional provisions to prevent or mitigate negative side effects for the Union as a whole.

Resume La cooperation en matiere d'energie etait presente des les debuts de la construction europeenne. Elle redevient une priorite de la Commission, mais se heurte aux resistances des Etats et au poids des interets sectoriels.

L’entretien porte d’abord sur les spécificités des rapports à la conflictualité tels qu’ils se déploient dans les espaces nationaux, européens et internationaux. Il dégage leurs rapports à la structure organisationnelle et à la culture intériorisée par les acteurs. Il traite en suite de l’actualité de la situation européenne, dont le Brexit est un symptôme. Il caractérise les défauts de récits susceptibles de mobiliser l’imaginaire des Européens et pointe les paradoxes fondateurs et actuels qui pèsent sur la construction de l’Union européenne. Il se clôt sur les singularités de la situation française en éclairant les sources de la profonde dépression qui la traverse.

On a recent visit to Ghana, I was shown a map of trade corridors in West Africa indicating the level of bribes that truck drivers are required to pay and the resulting delays. Compiled by the West African Economic and Monetary Union, with assistance from USAID, the numbers are eloquent: in Burkina Faso, a truck driver pays on average more than US$ 50 in bribes and loses more than 70 minutes every 100 km! Corruption certainly takes its toll on efficiency and on the cost of doing business.