LIFE PROGRAMME 2021-2027
The LIFE programme is EU funding instrument for the Environment and Climate Action which supports the development, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of relevant Union legislation and policy on environment and climate action by co-financing projects demonstrating European added value.
The general objective of the LIFE Programme shall be to contribute to the shift towards a sustainable, circular, energy-efficient, renewable energy-based, climate-neutral and -resilient economy, in order to protect, restore and improve the quality of the environment, including the air, water and soil, and to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and to tackle the degradation of ecosystems, including by supporting the implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network, thereby contributing to sustainable development.
The LIFE Programme shall also support the implementation of general action programmes adopted in accordance with Article 192(3) TFEU. In this regard, the LIFE programme as a whole constitutes fully to the objectives and targets of the European
Green Deal which aims to:
- transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use;
- protect, conserve and enhance the EU's natural capital, and protect the health and well-being of citizens from environment and climate related risks and impacts.
The LIFE programme is structured in two fields – Environment and Climate Action – and it contributes to these priorities through its four sub-programmes:
Environment field:
1.
The
Nature and Biodiversity sub-programme will aim at the protection and restoration of Europe’s nature and halting and reversing biodiversity loss. Thus, the LIFE Nature and Biodiversity sub-programme will continue to fund nature conservation projects, in particular in the areas of biodiversity, habitats and species. It will support projects that contribute to the implementation of the EU
Birds and
Habitats directives, and in particular the development and management of the
Natura 2000 network, and the
IAS Regulation, and will support achieving the objectives of the
EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 part of the
EU Green Deal
2. The Circular Economy and Quality of Life sub-programme aims at facilitating the transition toward a sustainable, circular, toxic-free, energy-efficient and climate-resilient economy and at protecting, restoring and improving the quality of the environment, either through direct interventions or by supporting the integration of those objectives in other policies.
Thus, LIFE will continue to co-finance projects in the environmental sector, in particular in the area of the circular economy, including recovery of resources from waste, water, air, noise, soil and chemical management as well as environmental governance. The sub-programme provides mostly action grants for projects implementing innovative and best practice solutions in these areas through the so-called Standard Action Projects (SAPs). It also covers the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of EU environmental policy and law through the so-called Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs). The European Commission will continue to look for solutions that are ready to be implemented in
close-to-market conditions, at industrial or commercial scale, during the project duration.
Climate Action field:
3. The Climate Mitigation and Adaptation sub-programme will contribute to the shift towards a sustainable, energy-efficient, renewable energy-based, climate-neutral and resilient economy, thereby contributing to sustainable development through the following three areas of intervention:
- Climate change mitigation
The climate sub-programme supports projects in the areas of farming, land use, peatland management, renewable energies and energy efficiency. It provides support for pilot, demonstration and best practice projects that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the implementation and development of EU policy and legislation, best practices and solutions.
The sub-programme also promotes integrated approaches, to implement climate change mitigation strategies and action plans at regional or national level.
- Climate change adaptation
The LIFE programme co-finances projects in the areas of urban adaptation and land-use planning, resilience of infrastructure, sustainable management of water in drought-prone areas, flood and coastal management, resilience of the agricultural, forestry and tourism sectors, and/or support to the EU's outermost regions: preparedness for extreme weather events, notably in coastal areas. It provides action grants for best practice, pilot and demonstration projects that contribute to increase resilience to climate change.
The climate sub-programme also promotes Integrated projects that implement EU policy and strategy on climate change adaptation.
- Climate governance and information
The programme co-funds projects supporting the operation of the European Climate Pact, sustainable finance activities, awareness raising, training and capacity building, knowledge development and stakeholder participation in climate change mitigation and adaptation areas.
LIFE provides action grants for information, awareness and dissemination projects on climate matters. This includes public and stakeholder support for EU policy-making, supporting communication, management and dissemination of information to facilitate knowledge sharing and cooperation platforms, providing training and fostering the development and dissemination of best practices and policy approaches.
4. The Clean Energy Transition sub-programme will aim at building on the success of the Intelligent Energy Europe (2003-2013) and Horizon 2020 Energy Efficiency (2014-2020) programmes. It continues to support the delivery of EU policies in the field of sustainable energy, in particular, the European Green Deal, the Energy Union (2030 energy and climate targets) and the European Union’s 2050 long-term decarbonisation strategy.
It aims at facilitating the transition towards an energy-efficient, renewable energy-based, climate-neutral and -resilient economy by funding coordination and support actions so-called Other Action Grants (OAG) across Europe. These are actions of high EU added-value, which are targeted at breaking market barriers that hamper the socio-economic transition to sustainable energy, and typically engage multiple small and medium-sized stakeholders, multiple actors including local and regional public authorities and non-profit organisations, as well as consumers.
Projects are co-financed under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme in the following five areas of intervention:
• Building a national, regional and local policy framework supporting the clean energy transition;
• Accelerating technology roll-out, digitalisation, new services and business models and enhancement of the related professional skills on the market;
• Attracting private finance for sustainable energy;
• Supporting the development of local and regional investment projects;
• Involving and empowering citizens in the clean energy transition.
TYPE OF GRANTS
Standard Action Projects (SAP)
Projects, other than strategic integrated projects (SIP), strategic nature projects (SNAP) or technical assistance projects (TA), that pursue the specific objectives of the LIFE programme.
Strategic Nature Projects (SNAP)
Projects that support the achievement of Union nature and biodiversity objectives by implementing coherent programmes of action in Member States in order to mainstream those objectives and priorities into other policies and financing instruments, including through coordinated implementation of the prioritised action frameworks adopted pursuant to the Habitat Directive 92/43/EEC.
Strategic Integrated Projects (SIP)
Projects that implement, on a regional, multi-regional, national or transnational scale, environmental or climate strategies or action plans developed by Member States' authorities and required by specific environmental, climate or relevant energy legislation or policy of the Union, while ensuring that stakeholders are involved and promoting coordination with and mobilisation of at least one other Union, national or private funding source.
Technical Assistance Projects (TA)
Projects that support the development of capacity for participation in standard action projects, the preparation of strategic nature projects and strategic integrated projects, the preparation for accessing other Union financial instruments or other measures necessary for preparing the upscaling or replication of results from other projects funded by the LIFE programme, its predecessor programmes or other Union programmes, with a view to pursuing the LIFE programme objectives set out in Article 3.
Other Action Grants (OAG)
Actions needed for the purpose of achieving the general objective of the LIFE programme, including coordination and support actions aimed at capacity-building, at dissemination of information and of knowledge, and at awareness-raising to support the transition to renewable energy and increased energy efficiency.
Operating Grants (OG)
Grants that support the functioning of non-profit making entities which are involved in the development, implementation and enforcement of Union legislation and policy, and which are primarily active in the area of the Environment or Climate action, including energy transition, in line with the objectives of the LIFE programme.
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE PROGRAMME
The LIFE programme management and support in its implementation have been moved to
CINEA, the new European
Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency which has been formally established by the European Commission (
EU2021/173).
Get familiar with:
CINEA CONTACT