At Thursday 25 June’s ‘Environment’ Council, Spain, Italy, Austria and Luxembourg called for the LIFE programme to be preserved as a specific environmental funding instrument in the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034.
Portugal, Greece, Lithuania, Poland and Estonia supported the request made by the Spanish government.
The proposal to integrate the LIFE programme into broader financial instruments such as the European Competitiveness Fund could lead to a “loss of visibility, specific funding and the capacity for effective implementation on the ground, subordinating environmental objectives to other priorities”, according to the Spanish note (https://aeur.eu/f/ml2 ).
The European Commissioner for Environment, Jessika Roswall, acknowledged that the LIFE programme was “a success”. According to her, activities financed by LIFE will continue through several budgetary pillars, notably thanks to the possibility offered to Member States to integrate environmental actions at national and regional level.
“The Commission remains fully committed to protecting the environment and biodiversity, and combating climate change”, Ms Roswall concluded. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)