LIFE strategic projects : €86M EU boost for water resilience & climate initiatives.
Date: 2025-04-22
Institutions: European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
Subjects: EU environmental policy, EU programme, climate change policy, environmental economics, water policy

LIFE STRATEGIC PROJECTS: 
€86 million EU boost 
for climate and environment 
initiatives

Since 2021, the LIFE Programme has invested over €435.6 million in 
25 Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) and Strategic Nature Projects 
(SNAPs) which support EU Member States in implementing nature, 
environment and climate plans and strategies.

25 
SIPs & SNAPs

70 
Integrated projects

TOTAL INVESTMENT

2021-2025
€729.1 million

EU contribution
€435.6 million

TOTAL INVESTMENT
2014-2020
€1.37 billion

EU contribution
€759.9 million

SNAPs focus on:
Implementing  action  programmes  to  mainstream  nature 
and  biodiversity  policies.  Supporting  the  Prioritised  Action 
Frameworks (PAFs) under the EU’s Habitats Directive. Ensuring 
measurable actions with clear timelines and budgets. 

SIPs aim to:
Implement environmental or climate strategies on various levels 
(regional, national, transnational). Contribute to greenhouse gas 
mitigation  strategies  and  achieving  the  target  of  zero  carbon 
economy  or  low  carbon  economy.  Involve  stakeholders  from 
different sectors to ensure comprehensive implementation.

Strategic  Projects  are  the  successor  to  Integrated  Projects 
under the LIFE Programme.

From 2014 to 2020, the EU financed 70 Integrated Projects. 
They  implemented  plans,  programmes  and  strategies  on  a 
regional,  multiregional  or  national  level.  Several  continue  to 
help Member States comply with key EU legislation in seven 
areas: nature conservation, water, air, circular economy, waste 
management, climate change mitigation and climate change 
adaptation. 

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In  2025,  the  EU  contribution  represents  more  than  half  the  total  €146  million  cost  of  five  projects  in  Denmark,  
Estonia, Poland, Slovenia and Iceland which aim to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions, limit the impact of 
floods and fires, boost waste recycling, clean up polluted rivers and improve water quality. 

The five Strategic 
Integrated Projects  
will become part of  
the EU LIFE Programme,  
which has funded more than 
6,000 green projects  
since 1992. 

The funding announced today 
is part of a wider €5.4 billion 
investment in the 2021-2027 
LIFE programme.

In Denmark, the €28.4 million LIFE ACT project brings together 27 municipalities 
to ramp up local climate action plans, reduce municipal CO₂ emissions by 75% and 
climate-proof 2,900 km of coastline by 2050.

Waste management is high on the agenda in Poland, where LIFE Pom GOZilla.PL 
has a €21.9 million budget to tackle major recycling and landfill challenges in the 
Pomorskie  Voivodeship  region.  Thirty  one  project  partners  including  the  regional 
government,  municipalities,  universities  and  NGOs  have  set  an  ambitious  65% 
recycling target while aiming to cut landfill waste to 10% by 2035.

In Estonia the focus is on improving water quality. LIFE SIP WET-EST will invest 
€29.9  million  in  future-proofing  the  Western  Estonia  river  basin  by  controlling 
pollution, restoring ecosystems and reducing risks from droughts and floods. 

LIFE4ADAPT  will  help  Slovenia  overcome  significant  challenges  from  droughts, 
forest  fires  and  floods  which  have  hit  the  country  in  recent  years.  The  €26.5 
million  project  will  support  the  country’s  Climate  Service  Centre  and  Climate 
Portal in financing new ways of managing climate risks and to launch educational 
programmes.

In Iceland, the €39.6 million LIFE ICEWATER project unites government agencies, 
researchers  and  municipalities  aiming  to  enhance  water  quality,  promote 
sustainable water use and reduce pressure on vital resources.

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The 25 ongoing Strategic Projects align with and support several key EU strate-
gies and directives. They contribute to the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, a 
comprehensive plan aimed at protecting nature and reversing the degradation 
of  ecosystems.  They  also  support  the  Water  Framework  Directive,  the  Nature 
Restoration  Law,  the  Air  Quality  Directive,  the  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Di-
rective, the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, and contribute to the clean energy 
transition.

LIFE Strategic Projects  
in EU and partners’ 
countries.

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  What’s the difference between Standard Action Projects and Strategic Projects?

STANDARD ACTION PROJECTS

STRATEGIC PROJECTS

SCOPE

One or several priorities under the 
LIFE environment and climate action 
sub-programmes

Specific areas of intervention related to certain 
strategic plans to nature, biodiversity, air, 
water, floods, marine strategies, waste, circular economy, 
climate change adaptation or mitigation

GEOGRAPHIC SCALE

Local, multi-city, regional,  
multi-regional, national or transnational

Regional, multi-city, multi-regional, 
national or transnational

LINK TO A PLAN OR 
STRATEGY ALIGNED WITH 
EU/NATIONAL LEGISLATION

MOBILISATION OF  
COMPLEMENTARY FUNDS

Optional

Not required

STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT 

Expected

AVERAGE PROJECT PERIOD 

1 - 5 years

Projects must contribute to fully implementing 
such a plan or strategy

Project must mobilise at least one other 
relevant EU, national or private funding source

Compulsory

5 - 10 years 

TYPE OF PROJECTS 

Pilot, demonstration, best practice or 
information, awareness-raising and 
dissemination projects 

Best practice that can be combined with pilot, 
demonstration and information, awareness-raising 
and dissemination aspects. A capacity-building 
element is mandatory

CONSORTIUM REQUIREMENTS 

1 participant may be sufficient

At least 2 participants

TO SUMMARISE, LIFE STRATEGIC PROJECTS AIM TO:

•  Support the implementation of a targeted 

plan/strategy/action plan at a large territorial scale
•  Remove administrative, financial, structural and/or  

other barriers to implementation

•  Mobilise additional finance for complementary actions 
from national and/or other EU funding instruments and 
programmes 

•  Support the effective mainstreaming of LIFE’s objectives and 

•  Increase skills and knowledge through training

priorities into other policies, sectors and financing instruments 

•  Improve the participation of relevant stakeholders  

•  Link to the EU’s missions on soil, adaption to climate change, 

in the projects

and climate-neutral and smart cities

Learn more 

 ec.europa.eu/life 
 @LIFEprogramme 

 LIFE programme 
 LIFE programme 

 lifeprogramme
 @LIFEprogrammeEU

How to apply for LIFE funding 
The European Commission organises annual calls for proposals. 
Full details are available at ec.europa.eu/life

Contact
European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA)
European Commission - W910 - B-1049 Brussels, Belgium

 CINEA-COMMUNICATION-LIFE@ec.europa.eu

Find out more
You can learn more about LIFE SIPs and SNAPs on our LIFE Calls 
for proposals page. The 2025 LIFE Call for proposals will open 
mid-April  and  CINEA  will  hold  virtual  informative  sessions  to 
guide potential applicants in May.

Watch the LIFE Programme video.

Check the LIFE projects happening in your country.

PDF 

HZ-01-25-005-EN-N 

ISBN: 978-92-9405-163-9 

DOI: 10.2926/8619007

© European Climate, Infrastructure and  Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), 2025
Reuse is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
The reuse policy of European Commission documents is regulated by 
Decision 2011/833/EU (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39).

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