Grants of more than €358 million have been awarded to 132 projects across Europe under the EU’s LIFE Programme for environment and climate action, covering the circular economy, clean energy and restoration of natural habitats.
LIFE projects play a significant role in the EU’s transition to a clean, circular and resilient economy, says the Commission, helping safeguard and restore the EU’s biodiversity, supporting industrial competitiveness and contributing to the EU’s long-term goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050.
The projects selected cover all areas of the LIFE programme, mobilising: nature and biodiversity; circular economy and improving quality of life; climate resilience and mitigation efforts; and clean energy transition. Specifically:
- €225 million (of which the EU will provide €147 million) for nature and biodiversity, with 34 projects to restore natural habitats, coastal ecosystems, and freshwater; and improve the conservation status of birds, insects, amphibians, and mammals.
- €133 million (of which the EU will provide €76 million) to contribute to circular economy and improving quality of life, with 31 projects supporting the transition towards a clean, circular, energy-efficient, and climate-resilient economy.
- €96 million (of which the EU will provide €58 million) to 19 projects to strengthen climate resilience and mitigation efforts.
- €82 million (of which the EU will provide €77 million) to 48 projects aimed at accelerating the clean energy transition.
Examples of projects supporting sustainability, competitiveness and quality of life include the Heath LIFE project in Sweden will restore nearly 2,000 hectares of heathland and create habitats benefitting notably pollinating insects, butterflies and lizards, the LIFE for RIVERS in Poland focusing on rivers and wetlands (with a budget of €14.8 million) or LIFE RePeat in Germany on peat bogs (with a budget of €16.6 million).
Projects selected to promote a more circular economy and quality of life include the Latvian project LIFE RiverFlow, with a budget of €8.4 million, will connect and ameliorate more than 550 km of water bodies; and the €1.9 million project InBioSoil in Spain uses fungi to clean up soil contaminated with persistent organic pollutants.
Climate resilience and mitigation projects include the €4.3 million LIFE COOL ZONE project in Hungary, the €5.1 million impaQt project in Austria and the I-LIBIM from Spain and Portugal will provide innovative solutions to the increasing challenge of heatwaves.
And 48 new projects to ensure a clean energy transition range from citizen-led local energy cooperatives to retrofitting old buildings and installing affordable heat pumps.
