Today, the EU’s consumption of natural resources is far beyond what is sustainable. The overuse of natural resources is driving multiple crises: climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, water scarcity, and social inequality. In 2022, the average material footprint was 14.8 tonnes per person—about six times higher than in low-income countries. The EU’s dependence on high volumes of imported
raw materials and commodities also leaves us vulnerable to supply risks and geopolitical instability. As current policies are insufficient to break this trend, we call for an EU framework on resource use reduction based on sufficiency measures. Bold political action is essential to strengthen strategic autonomy, resilience and competitiveness while delivering wellbeing for all.
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