The European Commission has awarded more than €390 million to 135 new environment and climate projects across Europe under the EU’s LIFE funding programme.
The EU contribution covers more than half of the projects’ combined investment needs of €579 million, with the rest coming from sources including national, regional and local authorities, businesses, public-private partnerships, project partners and civil society organisations, the Commission explained in a release on Monday.
Funding has been split across four strands of the LIFE programme. Nature and biodiversity projects will receive more than €223 million in total funding, including more than €151 million from the EU.
A further nearly €163 million has been allocated to 36 projects linked to a clean, circular and climate-resilient economy, with nearly €91 million provided by the EU.
Another 26 projects focused on climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation will receive more than €102 million in total, including over €61 million from the EU.
The clean energy transition strand will receive more than €91 million for 44 projects, with nearly €87 million funded by the EU.
Projects range from dunes and ducks to low-carbon building materials
Among the nature and biodiversity projects, funding includes €9.2 million for LIFE COCON to restore coastal sand dunes in Belgium and €12.6 million for Bulgaria’s Diving Ducks LIFE to conserve threatened diving duck species along the Black Sea–Mediterranean flyway.
Other projects cited include conservation work for the Saimaa ringed seal in Finland (€11.3 million) and the Pyrenean desman — also known as the Iberian trumpet rat — in Spain (€17.6 million).
Examples in the circular economy and quality-of-life category include LIFE RESHAPE-D in Belgium’s Dender Valley (€25.8 million), which is expected to reduce flood risk by restoring natural water management processes.
The LIFE Waterhub project in the Netherlands (€11.1 million) will demonstrate a flexible wastewater treatment system, while LIFE MUMs (€2 million) targets reduced exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals.
In the climate resilience and mitigation strand, the Commission highlighted CARENA LIFE in Germany (€10 million) on nature-based carbon removal techniques, and LIFE POSTFIRE (€5.9 million), which will support post-wildfire restoration in the Mediterranean region. Finland’s LIFE CCC BUILD (€3.4 million) will turn forestry and agricultural residues into carbon-storing building materials.
The clean energy transition portfolio includes LIFE EUCF City Facility 3.0 (€15.8 million), covering all EU countries plus Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Ukraine, which will provide financial and technical assistance to local authorities investing in sustainable energy.
Two €2.1 million projects — LIFE RISE DHC in Croatia and LIFE GREETIN in Denmark — will support investment planning for district heating and cooling systems in several EU countries.
The 135 projects were selected from 1,095 applications submitted under the LIFE Calls for Proposals 2025.
The current LIFE programme runs from 2021 to 2027 with a budget of €5.43 billion, and its grants are managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).
