European Sufficiency Policy Database

Energy Sufficiency Policy Database

In our Energy Sufficiency Policy Database we compile and categorise numerous sufficiency policy instruments for all sectors that were collected from various sources. With the policy database we aim at providing decision makers from politics, administrations and the civil society with a tool to plan and implement sufficiency policy measures. We also address the energy system and climate modelling community. As the Sufficiency Policy Database is expected to grow further, we welcome comments and additions as well as implementation examples for the instruments listed here to info[at]energysufficiency[dot]de.

Directions for use of the Policy Database
  • Sorting: The database can be sorted by any column by clicking on the title of the respective column. Clicking a second time leads to reversed order.
  • Filtering: Below the title of column there is an option to filter the database by this column. Depending on the content of the column, the filtering is based on a checkbox window that opens when clicking on the “filter” button (multiple options can be checked) or an a search text field (“filter / search”).
    • Different filters can be combined. However, this can lead to no entries being shown when there is no policy that matches all criteria.
    • On the right side above the table there is a search bar which enables searching and filtering all columns.
    • With the button “Filter löschen” (above the search bar) all filter settings can be reset.
  • Policy instrument descriptions: By hovering over the Policy Instrument column (green coloured column), a mouse-over window with a description of the respective policy instrument is displayed.
  • Time -> Impact: The Time -> Impact column gives a general estimate of the time span from implementation to impact of the instrument. In the download version of the database, there is also another column (Time -> Implementation) that gives a general estimate of the time horizon until an instrument is implemented. For this purpose, it was assumed that political agreement does not represent a significant time delay, as the urgency of the measure has been recognised. The information approximately corresponds to the following time scales:
    • short: less than 1 year
    • medium: less than 5 years
    • longterm: more than 5 years
  • References: Hovering over an entry in the Reference column displays a tooltip window with a more detailed reference. Almost all references are shown as clickable links. A full reference list can be found below the table. The references given in this column refer only to the Policy Instrument column and to the respective description.
  • Downloading the database: A version of the database optimised for export as an Excel or CSV file can be found here or by clicking the corresponding button above the table.

If you have any questions or problems regarding the database, please write to info [at] energysufficiency [Punkt] de

Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
Citation: Zell-Ziegler, C., Best, B., Thema, J., Wiese, F., Vogel, B., Cordroch, L. (2022). European Sufficiency Policy Database [Data set]. Energy Sufficiency Research Group. https://energysufficiency.de/policy-database/

Suggestions and feedback

We regard the Sufficiency Policy Database as a collection of instruments which is supposed to be extended and built upon. We therefore appreciate suggestions and contributions regarding concrete policy instruments, with respect to the information provided by the database or concerning the functionality of the database as provided here.
Please get in touch: info [at] energysufficiency [Punkt] de.

Paper on the Policy Database

Best, B., Thema, J., Zell-Ziegler, C., Wiese, F., Barth, J., Breidenbach, S., Nascimento, L., & Wilke, H. (2022). Building a database for energy sufficiency policies [version 1; peer review: Awaiting peer review]. F1000Research, 11(229). https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.108822.1

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Reference List
  1. Association négaWatt (2017) Scénario négaWatt 2017-2050 – Dossier de synthèse. Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer pour le progrès de l’Homme. https://negawatt.org/IMG/pdf/synthese_scenario-negawatt_2017-2050.pdf
  2. Bertoldi, P. (2017) Are current policies promoting a change in behaviour, conservation and sufficiency? An analysis of existing policies and recommendations for new and effective policies. ECEEE.http://proceedings.eceee.org/vispanel.php?event=7
  3. Best, B., & Wagner, O. (2020) Prepaid-Strom per Smartphone. Energiewirtschaftliche Tagesfragen, 11, 74–77.
  4. Böcker, M., Brüggemann, H., Christ, M., Knak, A., Lage, J., & Sommer, B. (2020) Wie wird weniger genug? Suffizienz als Strategie für eine nachhaltige Stadtentwicklung. oekom Verlag. https://www.nachhaltige-zukunftsstadt.de/downloads/Wie_wird_weniger_geung_2021.pdf
  5. BürgerBegehren Klimaschutz e. V. (2021) Unsere Empfehlungen für die deutsche Klimapolitik. Schöpflin Stiftung, Open Society Foundations, GLS Treuhand, Postcode-Lotterie-Stiftung. https://buergerrat-klima.de/content/pdfs/B%C3%BCrgerrat%20Klima%202021_Das%20B%C3%BCrgergutachten.pdf
  6. EnSu – Energie-Suffizienz (2020) First meeting of the EnSu Practice Advisory Board. https://energysufficiency.de/beiraete/
  7. Faber, J., Schroten, A., Bles, M., Sevenster, M., Markowska, A., Smit, M., Rohde, C., Dütschke, E., Köhler, J., Gigli, M., Zimmermann, K., Soboh, R., van ‘t Riet, J. (2012) Behavioural climate change mitigation options and their appropriate inclusion in quantitative longer term policy scenarios. https://ec.europa.eu/clima/system/files/2016-11/main_report_en.pdf
  8. Potočnik, J., Spangenberg, J., Alcott, B., Kiss, V., Coote, A., Reichel, A., Lorek, S., Mathai, M. V. (2018) Sufficiency. Moving beyond the gospel of eco-efficiency. Friends of the Earth Europe, Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety and of the Federal Environment Agency of the Federal Republic of Germany, European Commission. http://www.foeeurope.org/sites/default/files/resource_use/2018/foee_sufficiency_booklet.pdf
  9. Fuhrhop, D. (2017) „Bauverbot“ und Suffizienz im Stadtwandel. In F. Adler & U. Schachtschneider (Hrsg.), Postwachstumspolitiken (S. 293–304). oekom.
  10. Breidenbach, S., Bußmann-Welsch, T. M., Fischer, L., Grotenrath, A., Heinen, A., Heyl, B., Kroiher, S., Möller, L. C., Nesselhauf, L., Schmülling, H. (2021) Maßnahmen für ein 1,5-Grad- Gesetzespaket. Arbeitsstand: September 2021. GermanZero e. V.
    https://energysufficiency.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GermanZero-2021-Massnahmen-für-ein-15-Grad-Gesetzespaket.pdf
  11. Jackson, T. (2016) Prosperity without Growth: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow (2. Aufl.). Routledge.
  12. Bundesministerium Nachhaltigkeit und Tourismus. (2019) Langfriststrategie 2050 – Österreich: Periode bis 2050. https://ec.europa.eu/info/energy-climate-change-environment/implementation-eu-countries/energy-and-climate-governance-and-reporting/national-long-term-strategies_en
  13. Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit (BMU) Deutschland (2019) Climate Action Plan 2050—Principles and goals of the German government’s climate policy. https://ec.europa.eu/info/energy-climate-change-environment/implementation-eu-countries/energy-and-climate-governance-and-reporting/national-long-term-strategies_en
  14. Martin, B., Pestiaux, J., Schobbens, Q., Emmrich, J., Hagemann, M. (2020) A radical transformation of mobility in Europe: Exploring the decarbonisation of the transport sector by 2040. https://newclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/TransportRoadmap_Report_September2020.pdf
  15. Matthias, V., Bieser, J., Mocanu, T., Pregger, T., Quante, M., Ramacher, M. O. P., Seum, S., Winkler, C. (2020) Modelling road transport emissions in Germany – Current day situation and scenarios for 2040. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 87, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2020.102536
  16. National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs)
    AT: Bundesministerium für Nachhaltigkeit und Tourismus (2019) Integrierter nationaler Energie- und Klimaplan für Österreich Periode 2021-2030.
    BE: Belgian National Climate Commission (2019) Belgian Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030. Section A: National Plan.
    BG: Republic of Bulgaria. (2020) Integrated Energy and Climate Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria—2021–2030.
    CY: Mesimeris, T., & Partasides, G. (2020) Cyprus’ Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan—Version 1.1.
    DE: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi) Deutschland (2020) Integrierter Nationaler Energie- und Klimaplan.
    DK: Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities (2019) Denmark’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan.
    EE: Estonia (2019) Estonia’s 2030 National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP 2030).
    ES: Spain (2020) Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030.
    FI: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland (2019) Finland’s Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (2019:66; Energy).
    FR: France (2020) Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan for France.
    GR: Hellenic Republic. (2019) National and Climate Plan.
    HR: Republic of Croatia – Ministry of Environment and Energy (2019) Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan for the Republic of Croatia for the period 2021-2030.
    IE: Department of Communications, Climatr Action & Environment of Ireland (2020) National Energy & Climate Plan 2021-2030.
    IT: Ministry of Economic Development of Italy, Ministry of the Environment and Protection of Natural Resources and the Sea of Italy, & Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport of Italy (2019) Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan for Italy.
    LT: Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania (2019) National Energy and Climate Action Plan of the Republic of Lithuania 2021-2030.
    LU: Luxemburg – Ministerium für Umwelt, Klima und nachhaltige Entwicklung. (2020) Integrierter nationaler Energie- und Klimaplan Luxemburgs für den Zeitraum 2021-2030.
    LV: Republic of Latvia. (2019) Latvia’s’ National Energy and Climate Plan 2021–2030.
    MT: Republic of Malta. (2019) Malta’s 2030 National Energy and Climate Plan.
    NL: The Netherlands – Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. (2019) Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030—Version: 0.4 final version. 
    PL: Republic of Poland – Ministry of National Assets. (2019) The National Energy and Climate Plan for 2021-2030—Objectives and targets, and policies and measures.
    PT: Portuguese Republic. (2019) National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP 2030).
    SE: Kingdom of Sweden – The Ministry of Infrastructure. (2020) Sweden’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan.
    SI: Republic of Slovenia. (2020) Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan.
    SK: Slovak Republic – Ministry of Economy. (2019) Integrovaný národný energetický a klimatický plán na roky 2021—2030.
  17. Repenning, J., Emele, L., Blanck, R., Dehoust, G., Förster, H., Greiner, B., Harthan, R., Hennenberg, K., Hermann, H., Jörß, W., Ludig, S., Loreck, C., Scheffler, M., Schumacher, K., Wiegmann, K., Zell-Ziegler, C., Braungardt, S., Eichhammer, W., Elsland, R., … Matthes, F. Chr. (2015) Klimaschutzszenario 2050 – 2. Endbericht. Öko-Institut; Fraunhofer ISI. https://www.oeko.de/oekodoc/2451/2015-608-de.pdf
  18. Scherhorn, G. (2012) Die Welt als Allmende – Für ein gemeingütersensitives Wettbewerbsrecht. Commons – Für eine neue Politik jenseits von Markt und Staat. https://band1.dieweltdercommons.de/essays/gerhard-scherhorn-die-welt-als-allmende-fur-ein-gemeingutersensitives-wettbewerbsrecht/
  19. Institut für zukunftsfähige Ökonomien e.V. (2021) Sustainable Prosperity made in Europe. https://sustainable-prosperity.eu/
  20. [Transport model logic] …
  21. Dittrich, M., Dünnebeil, F., Köppen, S., von Oehsen, A., Vogt, R., Biemann, K., Fehrenbach, H., Ewers, B., Limberger, S., Gerhardt, N., Becker, S., Böttger, D., Frischmuth, F., Schoer, K. (2020) Transformationsprozess zum treibhausgasneutralen und ressourcenschonenden Deutschland – GreenSupreme. Umweltbundesamt (UBA). https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen/transformationsprozess-treibhausgasneutrales-ressourcenschonendes-deutschland-greensupreme
  22. Kobiela, G., Samadi, S., Kurwan, J., Tönjes, A., Fischedick, M., Koska, T., Lechtenböhmer, S., März, S., Schüwer, D., Best, B., Ewert, M., Stelk, I., Thomas, S., Wehner, T. (2020) CO2-neutral bis 2035: Eckpunkte eines deutschen Beitrags zur Einhaltung der 1,5-°C-Grenze [Projektbericht]. GLS Bank & Fridays for Future Deutschland. https://epub.wupperinst.org/frontdoor/index/index/docId/7606
  23. Zell-Ziegler, C., Thema, J., Best, B., Wiese, F., Lage, J., Schmidt, A., Toulouse, E., Stagl, S. (2021) Enough? The role of sufficiency in European energy and climate plans. Energy Policy, 157, 112483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112483
* Download version

The download version of the database contains the following additional columns compared to this browser-optimised version:

  • Policy Instrument Description: The text in this column corresbond to the text displayed here as hover tooltip above the Policy Instrument column.
  • Time -> Implementation: In addition to the time horizon until the effect occurs (Time -> Impact), an estimate of the time horizon until the implementation of a measure is given here.
  • Intro by und Intro date: These two columns refer to who added this policy measure to the database and when.