The European Commission announced, on Thursday 9 March, that it will allocate more than €116 million to the new LIFE programme to support eight major strategic climate and environment projects that are already up and running.
Seven Member States are involved in this funding. Belgium, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and Finland are thus assisted in the implementation of their green policies, which are integrated into the programme. Additional funds, national, private or from other EU sources, should also be mobilised.
Managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), the LIFE programme has been the EU’s funding instrument for environment and climate action since 1992. It currently focuses on four areas: 1) nature conservation and management; 2) water quality and waste management; 3) climate change adaptation; 4) climate change mitigation. To date, it has co-financed over 5,500 projects across the EU and in third countries.
According to the Commission, the projects included in this programme should, among other things, contribute to making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, facilitate the implementation of the European Green Deal, the EU’s biodiversity strategy and its circular economy action plan as well. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)