On 9th December 9th 2013 University College London Institute for Sustainable Resources (UCL ISR) and the Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI) jointly hosted a stakeholder workshop in Brussels as part of their work on the POLFREE project.

The aim was to investigate some key questions around European resource efficiency in the global context, including:

· What happens when Europe’s aspirations meet planetary boundaries?

· To what degree can absolute decoupling begin in the course of the next 20 years?

· Can Europe go it alone or do we need global cooperation?

· Are we witnessing the end of multilateralism?

The project team was joined by a diverse group of stakeholders from the European Commission, Member State government departments, international organisations, business, academia and non-government organisations.

The morning session focussed on a vision of resource efficiency and began with an introduction by Stephen White (DG Environment, European Commission).  Stakeholders, facilitated by Jill Jäger of SERI, were asked to evaluate the team’s draft vision for a resource efficient Europe in 2050, looking at aspirations, constraints and targets. Then they were asked to think of the policies that may be needed to be able to deliver on that vision.

In the afternoon session, introduced by Jakub Wejchert (DG Environment, European Commission), the focus moved onto the global context.  Presentations were given by Michelle O’Keeffe (UCL ISR) on the existing global governance architecture for resources and proposals for new governance mechanisms and Charles Arden-Clark (UNEP) on the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production. In the interactive sessions stakeholders were asked to consider the likely success of the proposals for resource governance in the context of different future attitudes to global cooperation.

The outcomes of the workshop will be integrated into the POLFREE project, informing future publications on Global Governance and the Vision for Resource Efficiency in Europe.