Commission invests €86 million to improve climate resilience and water security

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the Commission invests €86 million in new Strategic Integrated Projects focusing onimproving water quality and availability, cleaning up polluted rivers, improving fire and flood protection, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This funding will support projects awarded as part of the 2023 calls for proposals to help Europe become a climate-neutral continent by 2050.

The selected projects are located in Denmark, Estonia, Poland, Slovenia and Iceland and willhelp national, regional and local authorities implement national and European environmental and climate legislation.

They are expected to mobilise significant additional investment from other EU funding sources. This includes agricultural, structural, regional and research funds, in addition to national funds and private sector investment.

In Denmark, the LIFE ACT project brings together 27 municipalities to ramp up local climate action plans. Receiving €28.4 million in support (of which the EU will provide €17 million), it will reduce municipal CO₂ emissions by 75% and make 2,900 km of coastline more resilient to climate change by 2050.

In Estonia, theLIFE SIP WET-EST project focuses on improving water quality. With €29.9 million in support (of which the EU will provide €17.9 million), the project is future-proofing the Western Estonian river basin by controlling pollution, restoring ecosystems and reducing risks from droughts and floods.

Poland is receiving a €21.9 million budget (of which the EU will provide €13.1 million) to tackle major recycling and landfill challenges in the Pomorskie Voivodeship region. 31 project partners, including the regional government, municipalities and universities, have set an ambitious 65% recycling target while aiming to cut landfill waste to 10% by 2035.

The LIFE4ADAPT project will help Slovenia better prepare for droughts, forest fires and floods, which have hit the country in recent years. The €26.5 million funding (of which the EU will provide €14.2 million) will help the country’s Climate Service Centre and Climate Portal finance new ways of managing climate risks and launching educational programmes.

In Iceland, the LIFE ICEWATER project unites government agencies, researchers and municipalities to enhance water quality. With €39.6 million in support (of which the EU will provide €23.8 million), the project promotes sustainable water use and reduces pressure on vital resources.

The Commission also adopted today the work programme for the implementation of the LIFE Programme in 2025-2027. It sets out key strategies, actions and funding opportunities with the aim to drive Europe’s transition to a clean, circular, competitive and climate-resilient economy. The work programme establishes an overall budget of €2.3 billion for projects tackling circular economy, zero pollution, nature and biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, and clean energy.

Background

The LIFE Programme is the only EU funding programme entirely dedicated to environmental, climate and energy objectives. It has co-financed more than 6,000 projects since 1992 across the EU and associated countries. Funding for the five Strategic Integrated Projects announced today is part of a wider €5.43 billion budget assigned to the LIFE programme under the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework.

The programme is actively contributing to achieving the EU’s climate neutrality objective by 2050 under the European Climate Law. They also support the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the Water Framework Directive, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, contributing to a clean energy transition. The LIFE Programme is managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).

Projects help the EU protect and improve the quality of the environment, halt and reverse biodiversity loss, support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, boost preparedness against climate impacts, facilitate the energy transition and ensure water resilience.

Water resilience is a key component of the EU’s competitiveness. Maintaining its cutting-edge water industry will allow the EU to achieve both its environmental and economic ambitions. The call for evidence, which closed on 4 March, responded to a clear demand for action to address water challenges and reverse the widespread degradation and structural mismanagement of water resources and ecosystems across the EU.

The LIFE calls for proposals 2025 are expected to be published on the Funding & tender opportunities portal on 24 April 2025. CINEA will organise virtual information sessions from 13 to 15 May 2025 to guide potential applicants through the LIFE Calls for proposals 2025.