Page contents Page contents Achievements LIFE projects have achieved a reduction of 14 162 593 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, annual primary energy savings of 8 332 gigawatt-hours and additional renewable energy production of 3 153 gigawatt-hours per year. Over 3.5 million citizens have benefited from reduced vulnerability to climate change.Under Global Europe (Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument), the EU is actively advancing the green transition in the Eastern Partnership through targeted programmes delivering concrete results. The EU4Climate Resilience programme (EUR 17 million) provides technical support and pilot projects to strengthen climate adaptation at the municipal level, helping partner countries meet their Paris Agreement commitments and align with EU legislation.In the ‘Cities’ mission of Horizon Europe, 103 cities have formally committed to climate neutrality, with an expected reduction of carbon dioxide emissions equal to approximately 6.2% of the EU total in 2023.Under the CAP, actions to enhance carbon sequestration and storage in soils and biomass have been carried out on 38% of the EU’s agricultural area.Cohesion Policy plays a key role in strengthening climate adaptation not only through infrastructure investments, but also by supporting the development and implementation of climate adaptation strategies. By the end of 2025, the funds have supported the creation of 52 strategies across EU regions, ensuring a structured and long-term approach to resilience. How much do we spend?Climate contribution in 2021 to 2027 (million EUR). Source: European Commission. For the 2021-2027 period, the EU budget – including NextGenerationEU – is projected to contribute EUR 662 billion to climate mainstreaming objectives, representing 34% of the budget envelope, surpassing the initial target of 30%. Additionally, through the InvestEU programme, the EU budget is expected to help mobilise over EUR 128 billion in investment to meet EU climate goals. 10 JUNE 2026EU budget contribution to climate action Differentiating between climate change mitigation and adaptation expenditureUnder the interinstitutional agreement of 16 December 2020, the Commission committed to report on climate expenditure, differentiating between climate change mitigation and adaptation, where feasible. To allow for such reporting, an external study was commissioned to assist in developing a methodology to disaggregate climate expenditure across these two dimensions. The methodology was designed to avoid creating additional administrative burdens by building on the existing system of intervention fields used under the Common Provisions Regulation for cohesion funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. For external action programmes, existing methodologies were used, while for the CAP, the methodology was developed as a part of a specific study commissioned for this policy. Climate contribution in the 2021-2025 period disaggregated by climate mitigation and climate adaptation Source: European Commission. NB: Figures for the CAP refer only to the 2023-2025 period.
