LIFE Programme

This year's winners at the LIFE Awards include the LIFE Special Award for Water, presented to Freshhabit LIFE IP. This project, a seven-year, €20 million integrated initiative, aims to restore Finland's 'Kingdom of Water.'

The LIFE Programme has enjoyed a week of widespread recognition with its innovative initiatives and impactful results being prominently featured in various media outlets and high-profile events.

Taking top spot in this year’s LIFE Award for Nature Protection was LIFE Flusserlebnis Isar, an ambitious seven-year project combining nature and water conservation to restore Germany’s iconic River Isar.

The LIFE Awards Citizens’ Prize is always keenly contested. Any EU citizen can vote, with the winner announced at the finale of the ceremony. Against stiff competition, LIFE Nature Guardians was the citizens’ clear favourite.

Dedicated to the EU REPowerEU plan, the event focused on decarbonisation strategies for the heating and cooling sector, as demonstrated by a variety of LIFE and other EU funded projects.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Environment launched the #WaterWiseEU during the EU Green Week.The campaign aims to encourage people across Europe to See Water Differently. Together, we can inspire change and secure a future where water is respected, protected, and accessible.

Learn more about early EU environmental initiatives and explore the European Commission’s environmental policies prior to 1992. This work includes archives from various programs between 1984-1992.

In Ireland, the University of Galway and the Technological University of the Shannon, together with Novelplast Teoranta (Co. Meath), are tackling labware waste with a new project. They're starting by teaching lab sustainability and the circular economy to promote eco-friendly practices.

From monitoring Irish air quality to reducing chemical use in Hungarian homes; from encouraging greener choices in Italy to cleaning up water in Lithuania and Poland - across Europe, LIFE environmental governance projects are changing lives.

15 July is EU #ClimateVictimsDay, dedicated to honouring those affected by the global climate crisis. It reminds us of the need for collective action to mitigate climate impacts and strengthen resilience, central to the project LIFE RESYSTAL.

Sharks are crucial to our marine ecosystems, a role often overshadowed by their scary reputation. Shark Awareness Day is marked on 14 July each year. Read about LIFEProject LIFE ELIFE's work protecting Mediterranean sharks.

For decades, coastal engineers tried to protect the beaches of southern Sweden against rising sea levels with giant concrete blocks. Now, thanks to LIFE Coast Adapt, they are working with nature, not against it.

The 14th European Conference on Ecological Restoration, organised by the European Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SERE), will take place in Tartu, Estonia from 26 to 30 August 2024.