Programm: Priority area Environmental Governance and Information

The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental and climate policy and legislation by co-financing projects with European added value.

The LIFE Programme shall in particular have the following general objectives:

• to contribute to the shift towards a resource-efficient, lowcarbon and climate- resilient economy, to the protection and improvement of the quality of the environment and to halting and reversing biodiversity loss, including the support of the Natura 2000 network and tackling the degradation of ecosystems;
• to improve the development, implementation and enforcement of Union environmental and climate policy and legislation, and to act as a catalyst for, and promote, the integration and mainstreaming of environmental and climate objectives into other Union policies and public and private sector practice, including by increasing the public and private sector's capacity;
• to support better environmental and climate governance at all levels, including better involvement of civil society, NGOs and local actors;
• to support the implementation of the 7th Environment Action Programme.

The LIFE Programme may fund public and private bodies.

Co-financing rates and eligibility of costs for projects:

1. The maximum co-financing rates for the projects referred to in Article 18 shall be:

• for the duration of the first multiannual work programme, up to 60 % of eligible costs for all projects, other than those specified in point (c), funded under both sub-programmes for Environment and Climate Action;
• for the duration of the second multiannual work programme, up to 55 % of eligible costs for all projects, other than those specified in point (c), funded under both sub-programmes for Environment and Climate Action;
•  for the entire duration of the LIFE Programme:
  • up to 60 % of eligible costs for projects referred to in points (d), (e) and (g) of Article 18;
  • up to 60 % of eligible costs for projects funded under the priority area Nature and Biodiversity in the sub-programme for Environment;
  • up to 75 % of eligible costs for projects funded under the priority area Nature and Biodiversity in the subprogramme for Environment that concern priority habitats or species for the implementation of Directive 92/43/EEC or the species of birds considered as a priority for funding by the Committee for Adaptation to Technical and Scientific Progress set up pursuant to Article 16 of Directive 2009/147/EC when necessary to achieve the conservation objective;
  •  up to 100 % of eligible costs for projects referred to in point (f) of Article 18.

For detailed information on LIFE national contact points, please follow this link.