The EU is providing nearly 3.8 billion for projects on zero-emission technologies and on climate and environment

Brussels – Investing in the environment and in a carbon-neutral Europe. This is a goal that the European Commission is determined to pursue, to the extent that today (19 October) it has allocated €3.4 billion to 77 projects in the field of zero-emission technologies and over €390 million to 135 new projects as part of the EU’s action on the environment and climate.

The Innovation Fund call for proposals

The projects were selected as part of the “Innovation Fund” call for proposals, launched by the EU Commission in December 2025. Funded by revenue from the ETS emissions trading scheme, the Fund focuses on financing highly innovative clean technologies capable of delivering significant reductions in emissions and greenhouse gases. Specifically, the call for proposals supports initiatives divided into five thematic areas: general decarbonisation (for large-, medium- and small-scale projects), the development of clean technologies, and so-called “pilot projects”. The projects selected today (19 October) are spread across 23 countries in the European Economic Area and “cover a wide range of sectors, applications, and technologies on various scales.” These include: energy-intensive industries, renewable energy and innovative energy storage systems, the production of clean technologies, net-zero-emission mobility, the processing and recycling of critical raw materials, advanced alternative fuels, and industrial carbon management. For the first time, the list also includes a project relating to a small modular nuclear reactor, and there are also six initiatives linked to the supply of raw materials for clean technologies. 

According to estimates from the Berlaymont Building, over the first ten years of operation, the projects could reduce potential greenhouse gas emissions by 290 million tonnes. Project promoters will now have to draw up grant agreements with the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) of the European Commission. At this stage, the European Commission and the parties involved will finalise the details of the funding agreement, confirming the budget, the timetable, the technical and financial objectives, as well as the legal responsibilities. The outcome of this process will be announced in the first quarter of 2027. With the projects selected today, the Innovation Fund now comprises 320 projects, worth almost €17 billion in grants, of which twenty-three projects are in Italy.

Climate and environment projects

The framework for the 135 projects selected today is the LIFE programme, which, having been in operation since 1992, is the European Union’s main financial instrument dedicated to the environment and climate action. In particular, the projects under this programme contribute to improving “preparedness for and resilience to extreme weather events and to the EU’s goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050.” In a press release, the Commission emphasises that “the allocated amount, 390 million, covers more than half of the total investment – amounting to 579 million euros – needed to implement these projects.” The remainder comes from “national, regional, and local authorities, public-private partnerships, businesses, project partners, and civil society organisations”. To date, over €223 million (of which over 151 million provided by the EU) has been mobilised for 29 projects relating to nature and biodiversity; almost 163 million (of which almost 91 million from the EU) for 36 projects contributing to a clean, circular, energy-efficient and climate-resilient economy; more than 102 million (of which over 61 million provided by the EU) for 26 projects aimed at strengthening resilience to climate change through adaptation and mitigation; over €91 million (of which nearly 87 million comes from the EU) for 44 projects aimed at accelerating the transition to clean energy. 

There are 24 new LIFE projects in Italy or involving Italy. One example is the Venice Lagoon, where the LIFE REGROWTH project aims to restore habitats and biodiversity – specifically aquatic angiosperms – lost as a result of pollution. For over 34 years, the LIFE programme has co-funded more than 6,700 projects across the European Union and in associated countries. The 135 projects announced today were selected from 1,095 applications submitted in 2025. The current LIFE programme began in 2021 and will run until 2027, with a total budget of €5.43 billion. Compared with last year, funding allocated under the LIFE programme has increased by 9 per cent and, as with the Innovation Fund, grants funded under the LIFE programme are managed by CINEA.