Key facts
- Spain has warned that the EU's LIFE environmental fund risks losing impact if absorbed into broader funding structures.
- The LIFE programme is the EU's main funding instrument for climate and environmental action since 1992.
- Spain argues that specialized instruments are needed to address biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution.
- The European Parliament's environment committee supports maintaining a dedicated environmental funding instrument.
- Proposed funding levels for biodiversity and nature restoration in the 2028-2034 budget may be lower than current allocations.
Spain has issued a strong warning that the European Union's flagship LIFE environmental fund risks losing its impact and visibility if it is absorbed into broader funding structures as negotiations over the bloc's next long-term budget (2028-2034) intensify. In a document circulated ahead of an environment ministers' meeting, Spain called for safeguarding the LIFE programme, arguing that integrating it into frameworks like a potential European Competitiveness Fund could subordinate environmental objectives to other priorities.
Madrid contends that Europe faces a "triple environmental crisis" of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, and that specialized instruments are crucial to translate ambitious policy targets into practical results. The document also raises concerns that proposed funding levels for biodiversity and nature restoration in the next budget may be lower than the €5.4 billion allocated for 2021-2027.
The LIFE programme, established in 1992, has supported over 6,000 projects and mobilized more than €12 billion in investment, contributing to initiatives like the recovery of the Iberian lynx and the restoration of floodplain habitats. Supporters argue its success lies in fostering cooperation and enabling the testing and replication of innovative environmental solutions.
The European Parliament's environment committee has echoed Spain's concerns, adopting a text that emphasizes maintaining a dedicated environmental funding instrument. Lawmakers have pushed back against the European Commission's proposal to drop a dedicated target for nature, with an opinion backed by 54 MEPs stating that integration into a broader facility must not dilute LIFE's strategic nature or stability. NGOs like the European Environmental Bureau and WWF EU are urging the Council to reinstate LIFE as a standalone fund.