On Thursday 8 February, the European Commission gave its go-ahead to an investment package of €98.2 million from the EU budget in ten innovative projects for protection of the environment, nature, resources and climate.
This financial boost will facilitate implementation of the projects in eight EU member states: Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Greece, Lithuania, Malta and Sweden.
All the projects, amounting to a total value of €152.7 million, are eligible for EU co-financing under the LIFE programme, the financial instrument for the environment and climate action. Investment will make it possible for the above member states to benefit from a total €2 billion from other European funding sources, such as the structural funds, agricultural and research funds, since “€1 from LIFE mobilises €20 from other funding sources”, said European Commissioner for the Environment Karmenu Vella in a press release.
In the area of the environment, projects selected will receive €80.2 million of EU LIFE co-funding.
Five such projects (in Denmark, France, Greece, Lithuania and Sweden) will help conserve Europe’s nature, for example by improving the implementation of management plans for nature protected areas under the European-wide Natura 2000 network, encouraging farmers to manage their land in a more environmentally-friendly manner, and harvesting biomass.
Two projects (one in Malta and one in Spain) aim to promote water treatment and re-use of water in areas suffering from water scarcity.
A project in France aims to improve waste management and prevention in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
In the area of climate action, two projects have a total budget of €29.4 million, including co-funding of €17.9 million. The first will be for the renovation of over 8,500 homes to improve their energy efficiency. The second, in Spain, will help the Navarra region bring in early warning systems against flooding.
All the above projects were selected from proposals put forward by public and private bodies in member states and submitted to the European Commission in answer to a call for tenders. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)