EU supports the clean transition with over €358 million of investment in 132 new projects across Europe

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

The Commission has granted today more than €358 million to 132 new projects across Europe under the LIFE Programme for environment and climate action. The allocated amount represents more than half of the €536 million total investment needs for these projects – the remainder coming from national, regional and local governments, public-private partnerships, businesses, and civil society organisations.

LIFE projects play a significant role in the EU’s transition to a clean, circular and resilient economy, 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. This investment will have a lasting impact on our environment, economy, industry and the well-being of all Europeans. The projects will cover all areas of the LIFE programme, mobilising:

• €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. This investment will deliver benefits that sustain our economy and wellbeing.
• €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

34 projects will support nature and biodiversity in a wide range of areas. With a budget of €23.3 million, the Heath LIFE project in Sweden will restore nearly 2,000 hectares of heathland and create habitats benefitting notably pollinating insects, butterflies and lizards. Other projects will restore and protect natural habitats across Europe, such the LIFE for RIVERS in Poland focusing on rivers and wetlands (with a budget of €14.8 million) or the LIFE RePeat in Germany on peat bogs (with a budget of €16.6 million). They will also contribute to reversing the decline of endangered species, such as the Belgian LIFE ToadAlly project that aims to improve the conservation status of amphibians (with a budget of €7.3 million).

Among the 31 projects selected to promote a more circular economy and quality of life, the Latvian project LIFE RiverFlow, with a budget of €8.4 million, will connect and ameliorate more than 550 km of water bodies. In Sweden, the €3.6 million LIFE Woodmer project will produce biopolymers from waste wood to reduce hazardous chemicals and plastics in packaging and textiles. The €1.9 million project InBioSoil in Spain uses fungi to clean up soil contaminated with persistent organic pollutants.

As part of the 19 projects on climate resilience and mitigation announced today, 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. With the €4.3 million CROPS LIFE project in France, rural communities will benefit from new farming techniques to promote sustainable agriculture and adapt to climate change. By restoring peatlands, the German LIFE SUPER EU project will capture carbon and contribute to the EU’s climate and biodiversity goals, with a budget of €10.9 million. 

To ensure a clean energy transition, the 48 new projects announced today range from citizen-led local energy cooperatives to retrofitting old buildings and installing affordable heat pumps. They include the €1.2 million LIFE SUNACADEMY project, a new renewable energy training academy in France, with a focus on residential and large solar installations. The €1.8 million NESOIplus project will provide for clean energy solutions and capacity building targeted to remote island communities in the Azores, Canaries and Martinique. And with a budget of €1.6 million, the BAIL-RENOV project will give an increased focus on landlord’s needs all along the energy renovation process in rental properties in France. 

Background

Over its 33 years of existence, the LIFE Programme has co-financed more than 6,500 environmental and climate action projects across the EU and associated countries. The 132 projects announced today were selected from more than 895 applications submitted under the LIFE 2024 call for proposals.

The present LIFE programme started in 2021 and runs until 2027, with a budget of €5.43 billion. The grants financed under the LIFE Programme are managed by CINEA, the European Climate Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency.

For more information

Project summaries

LIFE Programme for environment and climate action