Posted on July, 17 2025

The LIFE programme

In an inexplicable move, the highly successful LIFE programme will be absorbed into the European Competitiveness Fund, an instrument primarily designed to support industrial policy objectives. In earlier leaks, LIFE activities were also vaguely mentioned in a Commission-managed facility under the new national plans, for which an official proposal is still missing as of this writing.

This new structure largely confirms the concerns raised by stakeholders in recent months. By chopping up and merging various EU programmes and instruments, it has become little more than the sum of its parts, stripped of coherence. It also seems unlikely that genuine nature conservation and restoration projects will continue to receive meaningful support, having been omitted entirely from the new fund. 

"In its relentless pursuit of simplification, the Commission has created a Frankenstein monster," said Tycho Vandermaesen, Policy & Strategy Director at the WWF European Policy Office. "By dismantling and merging the targeted, dedicated and successful funding provided by the current LIFE programme into the two big pillars of the new MFF, which are expected to deliver on a laundry list of objectives with no clear prioritisation, the Commission risks defunding vital nature and climate action.”

Worryingly, the Commission is also granting itself full discretion over how, and to what extent, these objectives are pursued. This approach undermines thousands of beneficiaries across Europe who depend on stable and predictable EU funding for climate and environmental actions. It also sidelines the European Parliament’s role in setting the EU budget and risks downgrading core EU priorities.

WWF calls on co-legislators to amend the Commission proposal and ensure that the EU budget guarantees dedicated funding for LIFE activities. Co-legislators should also secure the continued accessibility of funds for the wide range of beneficiaries that are currently supported by the LIFE programme.

Phasing out harmful subsidies

WWF welcomes the continued commitment to phasing out environmentally harmful subsidies in the next EU budget period. The European Commission has pledged – at least on paper – to fully apply the Do No Significant Harm principle, in line with its legal obligations under the Financial Regulation. However, much will depend on how this is implemented in practice. Earlier leaks of the relevant legal texts contained climate- and nature-wrecking predefined exceptions, suggesting that the Commission may once again prioritise deregulation over the health of European citizens and the environment. This is all the more disappointing given that phasing out harmful subsidies is not only an environmental necessity, it is also fiscally sound and key to a smart industrial policy.

Notes:

• See WWF’s reaction to the Commission’s EU budget proposal on the new climate and environment spending targets.
• For further information on WWF’s views on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, please refer to our position paper.