The paper examines the barriers to the circular economy (CE) in the European Union (EU), focusing on cultural, market, regulatory, and technological barriers. The study is based on a large-N survey of 208 stakeholders and 47 expert interviews. Key findings include: 1. **Cultural Barriers**: The main barriers identified are cultural, particularly a lack of consumer interest and awareness, and a hesitant company culture. These barriers are driven by market barriers, which are in turn influenced by the lack of synergistic governmental interventions. 2. **Market Barriers**: Low virgin material prices and high upfront investment costs are significant market barriers. These barriers are often overlooked in the literature, which typically emphasizes technological barriers. 3. **Regulatory Barriers**: Obstructing laws and regulations are not among the most pressing barriers, despite their importance in the literature. This suggests that current EU policies may already address some regulatory issues. 4. **Technological Barriers**: None of the surveyed technological barriers are among the most pressing. This finding contradicts much of the existing literature, which often highlights technological bottlenecks as major obstacles. 5. **Implications**: The study suggests that the CE is still a niche discussion among sustainable development professionals. To accelerate the transition to a CE, governments need to focus on addressing market barriers, such as eliminating subsidies for linear products and introducing financial incentives for circular investments. 6. **Conclusion**: The CE concept is gaining momentum, but its implementation remains limited. The study highlights the need for targeted governmental interventions to overcome market barriers and promote a successful transition to a circular economy.The paper examines the barriers to the circular economy (CE) in the European Union (EU), focusing on cultural, market, regulatory, and technological barriers. The study is based on a large-N survey of 208 stakeholders and 47 expert interviews. Key findings include: 1. **Cultural Barriers**: The main barriers identified are cultural, particularly a lack of consumer interest and awareness, and a hesitant company culture. These barriers are driven by market barriers, which are in turn influenced by the lack of synergistic governmental interventions. 2. **Market Barriers**: Low virgin material prices and high upfront investment costs are significant market barriers. These barriers are often overlooked in the literature, which typically emphasizes technological barriers. 3. **Regulatory Barriers**: Obstructing laws and regulations are not among the most pressing barriers, despite their importance in the literature. This suggests that current EU policies may already address some regulatory issues. 4. **Technological Barriers**: None of the surveyed technological barriers are among the most pressing. This finding contradicts much of the existing literature, which often highlights technological bottlenecks as major obstacles. 5. **Implications**: The study suggests that the CE is still a niche discussion among sustainable development professionals. To accelerate the transition to a CE, governments need to focus on addressing market barriers, such as eliminating subsidies for linear products and introducing financial incentives for circular investments. 6. **Conclusion**: The CE concept is gaining momentum, but its implementation remains limited. The study highlights the need for targeted governmental interventions to overcome market barriers and promote a successful transition to a circular economy.