The European Commission has decided to invest €121 million in 12 integrated projects under the LIFE Nature and Climate Action programme, the institution announced on Wednesday, 17 February.
Integrated projects will help Member States to comply in a coordinated way with EU environmental and climate legislation. These are large-scale, innovative projects with the potential to support the EU’s transition to a sustainable, climate-neutral economy that respects nature and biodiversity.
The 12 projects selected for co-financing by the LIFE financial instrument will be implemented in 11 Member States: Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia.
The €121 million will “help 11 EU countries make a real ‘Green Deal’ difference on the ground. This represents a 20% increase compared to last year!” (101.2 million: editor’s note), welcomed Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius.
Nature conservation. Five projects (in Latvia, Slovakia, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany) will help to restore natural ecosystems.
Water. A project in France will introduce measures to improve water quality in the Pays de la Loire region. Another project in Poland will help to clean up the Pilica river catchment area.
Waste management. A Belgian project will reduce plastic waste, in support of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan.
Climate. A project in Hungary will help reduce the country’s reliance on brown coal by financing low-carbon technology solutions at the Mátra Power Plant. A project in Poland will help the region of Małopolska to implement its Regional Action Plan for Climate and Energy. In Ireland, a project will restore around 10,000 hectares of peatlands which have high carbon storage potential.
Climate Change Adaptation. A project will help the Portuguese islands of the Azores to implement the Regional Climate Change Adaptation Programme. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)