LIFE

Objectives

The LIFE programme is divided in 4 sub-programmes: 

1. Nature and Biodiversity  

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.  

2. Circular economy and quality of life  

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.  

3. Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation  

The Climate Change 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. 

4. Clean Energy Transition  

Building on the success of the Intelligent Energy Europe (2003-2013) and Horizon 2020 Energy Efficiency (2014-2020) programmes, the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme 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. 

The LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme has a budget of nearly EUR 1 billion over the period of 2021-2027 and aims at facilitating the transition towards an energy-efficient, renewable energy-based, climate-neutral and -resilient economy by funding coordination and support actions (Other Action Grants) 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.