IN SPAIN: The European Commission is investing more than €103 million ($169.3 million) in seven strategic projects across Europe that will contribute to strengthening the EU’s prosperity.
Under the LIFE program, the selected projects to receive investment are located in Finland, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain.
Supporting and accelerating the implementation of EU environmental and climate policies, the projects are focused on climate and water resilience, nature restoration, circular economy and sustainable land use. These are expected to mobilise additional national public and private investment.
In Finland, ACWA Life – to receive €16.5 million – aims to restore and protect streams, lakes, coastal waters, river basins and groundwater to secure water resources and ecosystem health.
The LIFE ADAPT EST in France will strengthen climate resilience through more expertise on climate, water governance and infrastructure. The project will receive €15.6 million.
In Greece, LIFE SIP GR Blue – receiving €8.9 million – will restore marine ecosystems and reduce pollution, while CEL4LIFE in the Netherlands will support Limburg’s transition to a circular economy with the aim to half raw material use in chemicals, manufacturing and construction by 2030.
In Portugal, the LIFE IP AGRILOOP will implement circular solutions in the Azores, across agroforestry, agrifood and tourism. The project will receive €15.8 million in funding.
In Spain, LIFE HumedaIES is the largest project ever financed under the LIFE program. The project aims to restore around 26,200 hectares of wetlands across 107 Natura 2000 sites. The project will receive €29.7 million in funding.
The LIFE program is the EU’s only funding program dedicated to environment, climate and clean energy objectives. It has co-financed more than 6,500 projects in these fields since 1992 across the EU and associated countries.
Reaching net zero
In 2023, the EU adopted a set of commission proposals to make the EU’s climate energy, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
By 2040, the EU aims to reduce net emissions by 90%, while also aiming to be climate-neutral by 2050 – an economy with net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
The EU economy’s seasonally adjusted greenhouse gas emissions in the third quarter of 2025 were estimated at 828 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents, a 1.1% increase compared with the second quarter of 2025 (819 million tonnes of CO2-eq).
At the same time, the EU’s gross domestic product increased by 0.4% in the third quarter of 2025, compared with the previous quarter of 2025.
As of 2026, the European energy market is characterised by the transition to renewable energy, with wind and solar anticipated to surpass fossil fuels in electricity generation, as reported.
According to the European Commission, renewable energy represented 25.2% of energy consumed in the EU as of 2024 – up from 24.6% in 2023.
Sweden has the highest share of renewable energy among EU countries, with 62.8% of its gross final energy consumption coming from renewables in 2024. Sweden primarily relied on solid biomass, hydro and wind.
As previously reported, a new study – funded under the Horizon Work Programme 2021-2022 – aimed to increase the alignment of emerging clean energy technologies with the EU’s goals.
The study addresses future clean energy technology sustainability, circularity and contribution to EU resilience and technological autonomy. The study is also aligned with the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal, the Critical Raw Materials Act, and the upcoming Circular Economy Act.
It contains five sector-specific guidelines for application, covering carbon capture, utilisation and storage, energy infrastructure, energy storage, renewable and low carbon fuels, and renewable energy technologies.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: European Commission & Unsplash
