The European Commission has approved an investment package of more than €280 million from the EU budget for over 120 new LIFE programme projects.
This EU funding will trigger total investments of nearly €590 million to help meet these projects’ goals for the environment, nature and climate action. This amount represents a 37% rise compared to last year.
Many of the new projects are cross-country projects involving several member states.
Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president for the European Green Deal said: “The European Green Deal is our roadmap to a green, inclusive, and resilient Europe.
“LIFE projects epitomise these values as they bring together member states for the protection of our environment, the restoration of nature, and support of biodiversity. I’m looking forward to the results of these new projects.”
Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries added:
LIFE projects bring solutions to some of the most serious challenges of our time such as climate change, loss of nature and unsustainable use of resources.
“If replicated across the EU at speed and scale, they can help the EU achieve its ambitious EU Green Deal goals and contribute to building a greener and more resilient Europe for all of us, but also for generations to come.”
What will the money support?
Approximately €220 million is allocated to a range of projects on environment and resource efficiency, nature and biodiversity, and environmental governance and information and over €60 million to support climate change mitigation, adaption and governance and information projects.
Peatlands are also an important carbon sink, and can boost Europe’s drive toward climate neutrality by 2050, the commission notes.
Funds will also go towards projects that prevent food waste and lead to improved waste management in line with the new EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan.
- 34 nature and biodiversity projects to support the implementation of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives as well as the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030. They have a total budget of €221 million, of which the EU will pay €133 million;
- 47 environment and resource efficiency projects will mobilise €208 million, of which the EU will provide €76 million. These projects cover actions in five areas: air; environment and health; resource efficiency and circular economy; waste; and water;
- Eight environmental governance and information projects of nearly €17 million, with just over €9 million EU contribution to raise awareness of environmental issues among the wider public;
- 16 climate change mitigation projects will have a total budget of approximately €86 million, of which just under €32 million from the EU;
- 15 climate change adaptation projects will mobilise €50 million, €26 million of which will come from EU funds;
- Three climate governance and information projects to improve governance and raise awareness about climate change, with a total budget of €7 million of which the EU is contributing just under €4 million.
The list of projects is being updated as new grant agreements are signed; the list will be finalised by the end of December 2020. Ireland is not on the list.
Background
The projects were selected among more than 1,250 applications submitted under the LIFE 2019 call for proposals, published in April 2019. The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action.
It has been running since 1992 and has co-financed more than 5,500 projects across the EU and in third countries. At any given moment, some 1,100 projects are in progress.
The budget for 2014–2020 is set at €3.4 billion in current prices. For the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027, the Commission is proposing to increase LIFE funding by almost 60%.