European Commission pledges €233 mn for environmental initiatives

The twelve flagship projects, spread across ten EU Member States, will play a pivotal role in aiding Bulgaria, Czechia, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Lithuania, Austria, Poland, and Finland in achieving their environmental and climate targets, aligning with the EU's overarching green transition objectives, the Commission said in a press release.

In the realm of environmental conservation, the selected LIFE Strategic Nature Projects (SNAPs) and Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) will undertake various initiatives. For instance, in Ireland, efforts will be made to designate at least 30 per cent of marine territories as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by 2030 under the MPA-LIFE-IRELAND project. Meanwhile, the LIFE Podkarpackie project in Poland aims to enhance air quality in the Podkarpackie region, alongside tackling energy poverty and bolstering energy efficiency. Additionally, in Lithuania, the LIFE SIP Vanduo project will focus on enhancing water quality and management.

Six additional projects have been earmarked to bolster nature conservation and biodiversity. Priodiversity LIFE in Finland seeks to implement regional biodiversity action plans and capacity-building measures. In Italy, LIFE NatConnect2030 will enhance biodiversity across more than 500 sites and reinforce ecological corridors. Other projects, such as LIFE SNAP Ireland, LIFE BIODIVFr in France, PROSPECTIVE LIFE in Czechia, and LIFE AMooRe in Austria, are tailored to address specific biodiversity challenges in their respective regions.

Addressing climate change, the ACE LIFE project in Finland aims to support the country's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. This will involve reducing emissions from agriculture, heavy-duty transport, machinery, and phasing out fossil fuels in industrial processes. Meanwhile, the LIFE PYRENEES4CLIMA project, spanning Spain, France, and Andorra, will focus on enhancing climate adaptation in the Pyrenees region. Lastly, in Bulgaria, the LIFE-SIP CLIMA-SUMP project will work towards implementing Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) in six municipalities to promote zero-emission mobility and pave the way for climate neutrality.

“The LIFE programme is a concrete example where EU funding successfully helps restore our nature and ecosystems and face climate change by cutting emissions and becoming more resilient. With these twelve projects, 10 EU countries will progress on those efforts on the ground and support the implementation of the EU environmental and climate legislation,” said Maros Sefcovic, executive vice-president for European Green Deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)