The European Commission has committed to investing more than 110 million in integrated projects of the LIFE programme for climate and environmental protection.
According to a press release from the Commission, funding will support environmental-climate projects in 11 European Union member countries, including Cyprus, Czechia (Danemark), Estonia, Finland and France.
SchengenVisaInfo.com reports that the projects will aid in a green recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. They will also support the European Green Deal objectives to make the climate EU-neutral and pollution-free by 2050.
When it comes to climate, biodiversity, or pollution crises, we have no time to waste. The LIFE program provides direct support for projects across the EU and empowers entire countries and regions in order to protect and restore natural resources.Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president responsible for European Green Deal, stated.
The integrated projects of the LIFE program allow EU Member States to access additional funding sources, such as agricultural and research funds as well national funding and investments into the private sector.
It is expected that each of the 11 countries’ projects will attract more than 10 Billion in complementary funds. This will increase the resources and make a real difference on ground.
These projects will help Member States green their economies, restore nature and biodiversity, and increase their resilience. I look forward seeing the benefits this investment will bring to the 11 countries and beyond.Virginijus sinkeviius, Commissioner Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, has been added.
The EU’s funding instrument for climate and environment action is the LIFE programme. The programme has been running since 1992 and currently has four sub-programmes – nature and biodiversity, circular economy and quality of life, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and clean energy transition.
According to the Commission one of the French projects will introduce measures to reverse and stop biodiversity decline in the Grand Est area. Another project will reduce the negative effects of human activity that currently threaten the coastal and marine biodiversity of Finland.
Additionally, a project in Poland will implement measures that improve the air quality of the Silesia region through the replacement of heating devices with more polluting alternatives.
The Commission has announced that a project is being implemented in Cyprus to improve the infrastructure for recyclable and biodegradable waste collection. In Latvia, however, the focus will be on recycling municipal waste and improving separate waste collection.
One project in Denmark focuses on waste prevention. A second in Slovenia aims to increase the rate of recycling demolition and non-hazardous building, among other things.
The funding will also help Lithuania achieve its climate and national goals. Estonia will also benefit from a variety solutions for deep renovations in its three cities.
The funding will also help to stimulate climate change adaptation across all sectors in the Netherlands, apart from the previously mentioned. A project in the Moravian-Silesian Region, Czechia, will aid in increasing climate resilience, sustainable development, as well as improving the quality of the environment and the lives of its inhabitants.
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