Today, the Commission is investing over €233 million in twelve new Strategic Projects across Europe under the LIFE programme to support the implementation of the EU’s environmental and climate ambitions under the European Green Deal. These Strategic Projects are expected to mobilise substantial additional funds from other EU sources, including agricultural, structural, regional and research funds, as well as from national governments and private sector investment.The funding awarded to these twelve Strategic Projects will support Bulgaria, Czechia, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Lithuania, Austria, Poland and Finland to reach their national environmental and climate targets as they ramp up their contributions to the EU’s green transition.

On environment, the selected LIFE Strategic Nature Projects (SNAPs) and Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) will benefit marine ecosystems with plans to designate at least 30% of Ireland’s marine territories as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by 2030 (MPA-LIFE-IRELAND). They will also improve air quality in the Podkarpackie region of Poland while reducing energy poverty and increasing energy efficiency (LIFE Podkarpackie); and improve water quality and management in Lithuania (LIFE SIP Vanduo).

Six other projects have also been selected to boost nature and biodiversity. In Finland, Priodiversity LIFE aims to roll out regional biodiversity action plans as well as capacity building. In northern Italy, LIFE NatConnect2030 will take action at more than 500 sites to enhance biodiversity and reinforce ecological corridors. LIFE SNAP Ireland will target barriers to the implementation of Ireland’s Natura 2000 priority action fund. France’s national biodiversity strategy will engage local authorities and mobilise citizens to foster change in the way we live and produce through LIFE BIODIVFr. In Czechia, PROSPECTIVE LIFE will implement ‘active species conservation tools’ to help reverse the decline of at least 25 species. Finally, in Austria, LIFE AMooRe aims to restore more than 1,400 hectares of peatland including 13 different habitats and 37 high conservation value species.

Regarding climate change, the ACE LIFE project will help Finland become carbon-neutral by 2035 by reducing emissions from agriculture, heavy-duty transport and machinery and phasing out fossil fuels used by small- and medium-sized businesses in industrial processes. LIFE PYRENEES4CLIMA is a cross-border project between Spain, France and Andorra aiming at accelerating climate adaptation in the Pyrenees by improving knowledge and capacity to cope with the impact of climate change on nature, people and the economy. Finally, in Bulgaria, LIFE-SIP CLIMA-SUMP will implement Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) in six municipalities to help achieve zero-emissions mobility on the road towards climate-neutrality.