The LIFE Programme, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in 2021, is crucial for implementing environmental, climate, and energy policies. It supports a wide range of beneficiaries in EU member states, including companies, local authorities, research institutions, and civil society organizations.
The LIFE multiannual work programme 2025-27 provides a framework for its implementation in the coming years. The Commission followed the correct procedure for preparing and voting on the work programme in the LIFE Committee, comprising representatives from member states, which delivered a positive opinion.
Funding for NGOs is explicitly provided for in the LIFE Regulation, aiming to improve governance of environmental, climate change, and energy transition issues, including by enhancing stakeholder involvement at all levels, capacity-building, communication, and awareness. The Commission remains fully committed to ensuring a healthy and vibrant civil society by supporting its functioning and involvement in policymaking.
However, the Commission recognized that in some cases, work programmes submitted by NGOs and attached to the operating grant agreements contained specific advocacy actions and undue lobbying activities. The Commission has taken action to prevent such cases in the future and will take further measures to enhance transparency and include appropriate safeguards. In particular:
- The Commission has already published guidance on the types of activities that should not be included when receiving funding as part of policy and legislation development, implementation, monitoring, and enforcement. Grants should comply with LIFE objectives and support civil societys participation in European policy-making and democratic debate while avoiding lobbying that targets specific policies or MEPs. This guidance applies to all EU funding and is already implemented by all Commission services and relevant agencies.
- In the multiannual work programme 2025-2027, the Commission has included further safeguards to ensure that operating grants do not require specific and detailed activities that directly target Union institutions or their staff or members and clarify that beneficiaries retain full responsibility for their views and for presenting these views to Union institutions. The Commission is working closely with the Court of Auditors, which is currently finalizing its recommendations on how to further improve the transparency of NGO funding in the implementation of EU funding programmes, including through appropriate mechanisms.
- The Commission will review the transparency arrangements for beneficiaries of grants funded by the EU budget, including in relation to the disclosure requirements under the EU transparency register.
- The Commission is committed to ensuring that LIFE evaluation committee members are independent and free from conflicts of interest. It is mandatory for members to sign declarations on the absence of conflict of interest before engaging with the assessment of proposals, and mitigation measures are in place in case conflicts of interest are identified. CINEA will review the selection procedure for members of the LIFE evaluation committee and will implement any necessary steps to ensure full transparency.
- While working on a possible review, the MoU between CINEA and the Commission services responsible for LIFE will be rigorously implemented to ensure clarity in the respective responsibilities in the grant award procedure.
The Commission is committed to maintaining an open and collaborative dialogue with the European Parliament and stands ready to provide further clarifications on any remaining issues.