Today, 9 May, is Europe Day, a day that commemorates the historic Schuman Declaration of 1950, considered the starting point of the European integration process. In it, the then French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Schuman, proposed a new form of political cooperation that would make a war between the countries of the continent unthinkable, thus laying the foundations of the current European Union.

Since then, peace, unity and the common achievements of the Member States have been celebrated every 9 May. And it is also an occasion to remember Europe’s commitment to global challenges such as climate change, the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainability of our territories.

On this path, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) promotes, thanks to the management of European funds, a greener, more resilient and inclusive economy. These funds are articulated in the form of calls for grants and projects.

Through the NextGenerationEU funds, different calls for aid have been launched since 2021 within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP) to support transformative and innovative projects, based on science and nature-based solutions, with the aim of promoting the ecological transition and green recovery.

These initiatives are linked to aspects such as the renaturation of cities, research on biodiversity management, the reinforcement of stranding and rescue networks for marine fauna, support for CITES centres, the restoration of river ecosystems in urban environments and the promotion of the bioeconomy.

Also within the framework of the RTRP, three calls related to the promotion of the circular economy have been published more recently. The first of them aims to promote circularity in the textile, fashion and clothing and footwear sectors, while the second focuses on the plastics sector. The third line of aid focuses on promoting projects that promote the sustainability and circularity of industrial and business processes.

Likewise, the Biodiversity Foundation has launched a new aid package co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). So far, two calls for aid have been published: on the one hand, the call for the promotion of the renaturalisation of cities, which has an endowment of 39.8 million euros; and, on the other hand, the call for the promotion of research in green infrastructure based on the generation and application of knowledge for the management of biodiversity, endowed with 5.9 million euros.

Under the LIFE Programme, the EU’s main instrument dedicated exclusively to the environment and climate action, the Biodiversity Foundation coordinates flagship initiatives. Among them, LIFE INTEMARES, which pursues an advanced and participatory management of the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, stands out. Another example is the LIFE Marbled Teal project, focused on the recovery of this critically endangered species, by improving the ecological status of more than 3,000 hectares of wetlands and increasing its breeding population.

In addition, the Foundation participates as a partner in other LIFE projects with a great environmental impact. LIFE Ecorest aims to restore some 30,000 hectares of deep marine habitats off the coasts of Girona and Barcelona. It has also participated in the LIFE Bears with a Future, focused on improving the habitat of the Cantabrian brown bear in the face of climate change. The project, the results of which were recently presented, has included the planting of more than 150,000 fruit trees and shrubs and has promoted awareness-raising actions to promote coexistence with this species in rural environments.

Finally, she coordinates the LIFE CUSTODIA project, which promotes land stewardship as a key tool for the conservation of biodiversity. Through voluntary agreements between administrations, owners, entities and civil society, the project seeks to mobilise innovative financing, strengthen capacities and generate a new framework that allows its impact to be scaled up throughout the territory.

Also through European Structural and Investment Funds, it promotes strategic programmes for the ecological transition. Thanks to the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), the Pleamar Programme is being developed, which accompanies the fisheries and aquaculture sector in its transition towards more sustainable models and in the conservation of the marine environment. For its part, the Empleaverde+ Programme, financed with the support of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), promotes training for the green economy, supporting unemployed people, workers and entrepreneurs in the acquisition of key skills for new green jobs.

Europe Day is an opportunity to highlight the key role of the European Union in promoting policies and projects that address major environmental challenges. The ecological transition, the conservation and restoration of biodiversity and adaptation to climate change are today more than ever common objectives that reinforce cooperation between territories and the commitment to a sustainable future for all people.